


Superman's Sister

by mia_rose240



Series: Superman's Sister [1]
Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DCEU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Spoilers, DCAU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29831130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mia_rose240/pseuds/mia_rose240
Relationships: Batman/Superwoman, Superman - Relationship, Wonder Woman/Superwoman
Series: Superman's Sister [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2193042
Kudos: 1





	1. Superwoman

"TELL me... What has always questioned you Kalura? Is it the feeling you will never fit in? Never being loved. Feeling like a freak?" Zod asked as Jessica clenched her hands into tight fists.  
The general noticed, taking pleasure at the anger he was causing. "Join me Kalura, we can rule over this world together, make a new Krypton." He suggested, holding his hand out for her to take if she made the decision.  
Oh, she knew better, no matter what the people of earth put her and her brother through… No way in hell was she going to cause innocent people pain.  
"No wonder why they locked you away… you're unstable." She scoffed.  
Zod's chest puffed out. "Well… I thought you would cooperate better than your brother, but I guess I was wrong." He snapped as Jessica narrowed her eyes at him. Zod flew at Jessica with sound-breaking speed, tackling her through glass buildings and down to the street. "You'll never know true power until you wake up." Zod snarled, holding Jessica's throat tighter. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Wake up, you're going to be late for work."  
"What?"  
"Jessica! Wake your ass up!" Perry shouted causing Jessica to bolt straight up in her chair.  
"I'm up! I wasn't asleep!" She blurted while the letters K, W, and M embedded on her skin.  
"Good God, Kent, were you here all night?" He asked, crossing his arms. Jessica rubbed her eyes, trying to rid herself of her exhaustion. Piles of papers clouded her desk showing how much Perry put on her.  
"No… I just closed my eyes for a few minutes." She mumbled as Perry rolled his eyes.  
"Yes, a few minutes, that explains why you're wearing the same clothes from yesterday, your hair's a mess, and the small puddle of drool that's on the keyboard." He explained with his arms crossed.  
Jessica adjusted her glasses in embarrassment, she would never be caught dead in the same clothes and Perry knew that. She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Perry look, yes I was here, I was trying to push in some more articles, and I fell asleep." She wiped the drool off her face.  
"Go home Kent."  
"No."  
With a heavy sigh, he knew what would make her tick. "Well, if you're doing new articles, listen to this." Perry said, turning on the tv as the morning news came on. A woman with a deep accent broke through to Jessica's ears.  
"The women in the village heard a noise…” The voice paused. “like the sky cracked open. He came down, so many dead, even worse came after. The government attacked, no mercy in the villages.” She sucked in a deep breath. “My parents tried to run..." Her voice cracked at the end of her story. Senator Finch, of Kentucky, gave her a sorrowful look, her heart feeling the sadness that was radiating off the black woman. Jessica suddenly realized who they were talking about, her brother.  
With a clear of her throat, Finch leaned forward to the mic. "The world has been so caught up with what Superman and Superwoman can do, that… no one has asked what they should do.” She spoke, trying to speak as cautiously as she could. “Let the record show that this committee holds them responsible."  
"He'll never answer to you.” She spat. “They answer no one. Not even I think to god." The woman disagreed, sniffling a bit. Jessica scoffed and changed the news channel.  
Jessica couldn’t comprehend what she was talking about. Jess was not even out with her brother at the time, it was just Clark. She was just stuck, at the office, doing Clark’s column for him. She was livid at the fact that the woman was spewing lies. Clark would never harm any innocent human lives; he doesn’t have blood on his hands as she does.  
“Damn shame.” Perry sighed, “I expected better from them.” Jessica crossed her arms, leaning back in her office chair.  
“She’s lying, they would never do that.” Jessica defended.  
“You never know someone’s true colors.” Doug spoke, walking past them with his face glued on his tablet. Doug Sherbet, the most annoying man in the whole office. He was a tall lanky blonde man with an attitude galore. He was always trying to steal Jessica’s ideas and could not stand the Super Twins. Jessica always volunteered to throw him into the sun, but Clark was not for it. Sadly.  
Jessica glared at him, not ready to debate with him now. “Does bullshit always fall out of your mouth?” Jessica sassed, leaning out of her cubicle to look at him.  
“Just to annoy you.”  
Jessica opened her mouth to retaliate but decided not to. Instead, she grabbed her purse with a sigh. "Fine, I'll go home." She grumbled, grabbing her stuff, and strode out towards the elevator. Once she clicked the button, she turned around to see Doug smirking at her.  
“Wipe that smirk off your face, you haven't won yet." She declared; her eyes narrowed behind her glasses as the elevator doors opened for her.  
She pressed the lobby button and made her descend, yawning and rubbing her eyes at the same time. "Man, last time I do a research paper for Chloe, ever." She sighed, adjusting her bag so it wasn't hanging off her shoulder.  
Jess investigated the mirror that was hanged up by Lois for some type of joke. As her face came into view, she jumped at her sudden appearance. Her mascara was smeared, her hair frizzy, lipstick going in the direction of the trail of drool that was on her cheek moments ago.  
"Oh god!" She gasped and rummaged through her purse to find her emergency make-up wipes for situations like these. She then began to, forcefully, rubbed her face to take off the horror painting that was on her face. Once finished she combed her hair with her fingers and cleaned her glasses off. "There, somewhat, decent." She stated with a shrug of her shoulders.  
She blew a breath of air and almost gagged at how bad her breath was. Morning breath was always her mortal enemy, if that were one of her power's, half of the world's population would have dropped dead in disgust. Popping a piece of mango and orange gum to at least tame her breath, she rubbed her eyes again. "God, I need coffee." She grumbled.  
The doors opened to the lobby of The Daily Planet, people rushing around everywhere like they normally did. "God, Jessica, did you get into a fight with a raccoon?" Matt chuckled at her, his cheery personality always affecting her.  
"It looks like it right?" She chuckled with a wave of her hand and out the rotating doors of the building. She wiggled her toes in her shoes, trying to get some type of circulation to go through again.  
Taking a breath of fresh air, she made her way to her apartment. She knew having a cozy date with her mattress for a few hours would get rid of the dark circles under her eyes. Her bed wouldn't judge her, and it can't leave her. She for sure was never staying at the office unless it was necessary.  
She glanced at all the people walking alongside her. Of course, not having the ability to have a sense of heart today, she kept a straight face and walked faster, trying to avoid people to get to her apartment.  
It is not like she was a mean person but sleep changes everyone. As soon as she made it into her apartment, she discarded her shoes into the trash, realizing she made a poor choice in buying those cheap black leather pumps.  
Then, not even bothering to take off her clothes, she plopped down onto her bed and started to drift off, until her phone rang. "Are you kidding me!" She yelled into her pillow. She reached down into her pocket and yanked her phone out. "What?" She asked annoyed.  
Clark's voice rang through. "You are not sleeping, it's 9:30." He said as Jess rubbed her eyes.  
"Perry sent me home... said I looked like hell." She explains, yawning yet again.  
"I need a favor." He spoke quickly, making Jess scoff.  
"You always need a favor."  
“Please, I need your help." Jessica blinked and sighed, too tired to argue with him.  
"Fine, what is it?" She asked, covering her eyes with her arm.  
"Remember that interview I told you about?"  
"Oh god, Clark, I am not doing your interview." She chuckled warningly. “I just spent the whole night doing your column. I’m pretty sure Perry is going to realize that it’s my writing because you never put enough detail in your work.”  
"Jessica." He warned something he did to try and scare her. Jessica growled, about ready to rip his throat out.  
"Fine, this is the last time!" She hissed. “But I’m rescheduling for tomorrow!” Before Clark could answer back, she hung up the phone, throwing it across the bed. Great, now she must get up and change. "Ugh!" She yelled at nothing while she, yet again, tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She kicked her legs over the edge of the bed, stood up, and dragged her feet to the shower.  
Lately, Clark has been shoving his work onto Jessica's load so he can go out and be Superman; not to mention save Lois from robbers when she can, clearly, handle herself. The last time she checked, they were both from the same planet and shared the same damn powers. Maybe next time, she'll just say no.  
She took better care of her face, brushing her teeth, taking off yesterday's makeup, and putting on a new batch to make herself presentable, and put-on deodorant.  
She put on her comfortable pair of black heels and off she was. She walked the streets of Metropolis with the same attitude she left The Daily Planet with, tired and grouchy. What made matters worse was the fact that she had no food in the house and rescheduled her appointment while hangry.  
While walking the sidewalk, she came across a group of people with shirts that said: GET THE ALIENS OUT OF HERE LIKE THE MINORITIES. GO BACK TO YOUR PLANET AND COUNTRY. AMERICA IS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED HARD TO KEEP IT GREAT. Plastered all over the front.  
Jessica stopped in her tracks at the sight of the derogatory words on their clothing. One of them noticed her staring and crossed his arms. “What are you looking at?”  
“Just your politically incorrect choice in clothing.” She shrugged. “Those, “minorities” deserve to be here just as much as you.”  
The man, scoffed, pointing his pale finger to his shirt. “Whatever lady, go make me a sandwich or something.” The group of his friends all laughed. Jessica chuckled, scratching the side of her face.  
“That’s a good one, that really is.” She gave a contented sigh, about to destroy this boy’s reputation. Factually. “May I remind you that the way you speak to women or any person of society is how you talk to your mother, is that how you talk to your mother?” She asked with a tilt of her head.  
The boy shrugged his shoulders. “What’s it to you?”  
“What’s it to me? Well, I wouldn’t want your mother to know that you walk around spewing hate just to look cool in front of your friends. I also wouldn’t want your mother to know that sagging your pants halfway down your ankles is a calling card for guys to have sexual intercourse with other male inmates in prison.” The other boys the white boy was with looked down at their pants, one picking them up all the way to cover his belly button.  
“Another thing, if you’re telling people to go back to their country, don't bother to buy things if you’re talking about China, American’s get their goods from there, don’t watch sports like football or basketball, because they’re culturally diverse if you’re talking about Hispanics, don’t listen to their music, don’t learn their language, and don’t eat their food, don’t expect the Super twins to come to save you when you want them to leave this planet, and for sure don’t listen to African American music, don’t wear their clothing, and don’t try and act like you are them when you discriminate against them.”  
The boys looked at each other in stubborn embarrassment, the tips of their ears showing color. “There’s nothing I hate more than a racist who likes to leech off of other cultures for fun then treat them like garbage.”  
Jessica dusted her hands like she was washing the memory from her head. “And one last thing.” She said before walking away. “The American’s you claim who ‘worked hard’ to keep it great are liars. They used the backs and bones of Blacks, Native Americans, and Hispanics to build this country by force. So how about you open a book for once? Become educated on something you know nothing about.” With that, Jessica continued her journey even more annoyed.

IN a dark cave, underneath the house of a wealthy billionaire.  
Bruce Wayne descended an elevator to what was named the Batcave. He passes by his butler Alfred, currently doing electrical repairs on a Bat-helmet and its microphone. “You're still working?” He questioned with a raised brow. “You're getting slow in your old age, Alfred.”  
“Comes to us all, Master Wayne. Even you got too old to die young, and not for lack of trying.” Alfred said sarcastically. Bruce rolls his eyes while he drops his jacket and other things in front of the butter barer, Alfred grabs the in-helmet microphone. “Funnel-ferry butter bar. Funnel-ferry butter bar. Funnel-ferry... There’s nothing wrong with the microphone. It's this new layer of armor. I'll just have to rewire.” He sighed at having to rewire more armor. “So, last night was productive?”  
“No,” Bruce sighed. “He's too low-level. He knew nothing. This is the man who knows things.” Bruce pulled up a picture of a man on the screen of the computer. “Anatoli Knyazev. He's Russian. Contracts all over the globe, but he's based out of the port of Gotham. Weapons and human trafficking.”  
“So, the White Portuguese is a Russian.” Alfred looked at Bruce with a raised brow. “That's the theory?”  
“No, the theory is that the Russian will lead me to the man himself.”  
“If he is, indeed, a "him." You don't even know if he exists.” Alfred said. “Could be a phantasm.”  
“One that wants to bring a dirty bomb to Gotham?” Bruce spoke with his head tilted up to look at Alfred from his chair.  
“High-stakes round. New rules.” Alfred sighed.  
Bruce shook his head slightly. “We're criminals, Alfred. We've always been criminals. Nothing's changed.”  
“Oh, yes, it has, sir. Everything's changed.” Alfred pulled up images of the super twins flying in the air. “Men fall from the sky. The gods hurl thunderbolts. Innocents die. That's how it starts, sir. The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerlessness. It turns good men cruel.”


	2. God is a woman

"WAYNE tower, Wayne tower..." Jessica mumbled to herself. In a big city, you would think that finding one of the richest enterprises in the whole world would be easy.   
She was expecting Bruce Wayne to have the tallest skyscraper in all of Metropolis like he does in Gotham, but it turns out, she was wrong. It made her happy, The Daily Planet was still the tallest Skyscraper in the whole Metropolitan area. It was a huge pain in the ass to try and keep the giant gold-plated earth on top of The Daily Planet from falling onto the streets below.   
Tapping her fingers on her chin, she adjusted her glasses to hear a loud whoosh go above her head. Superman. Jessica looked up to see her brother wave down at her but all she did was roll her eyes and kept walking. She was beyond mad at him, they were partners, siblings, best friends. They made a pact to do this, saving the world thing, together.   
Now, she is stuck as the scrummy sidekick who sucks the life out of the big hero for as long as they can. Jessica Kent was no sidekick. It made her physically sick to think she was anything else but his partner.   
Clark frowned; he had no clue what was wrong with his sister. She usually seemed happy. Was it work? Lois? Oh god not Lois, they were best friends. They could not be mad at each other even if they tried.  
He saw her disappear into Wayne tower as a frown stretched over his chiseled face. It was the interview, it had to be.   
"Hey, it's Superman!" A woman called out in surprise, making everyone freeze. It was not uncommon to see the Super Twins floating in the skies of Metropolis but, it wasn't every day you see one of them in person. With a warm smile to the crowd, Clark flew off. He needed to talk to someone, and that someone was Lois.   
Jessica patiently waited for the receptionist to get off the phone. She was used to people treating her like she was vermin of the world, it comes in the job description. She should have been a doctor.   
"Mr. Wayne is busy with paperwork in his office, he doesn't want to be disturbed." She spoke, placing the phone back into its holster, and started to type on the computer, making no eye contact with Jessica at all. The Woman of Steel did not like the sound of that.  
"I have an appointment, well, my co-worker did, but he couldn't make it. It was a last-minute change." Jessica explained, leaning forward on the counter.   
The receptionist rolled her eyes and looked up at Jessica. "As I said, Mr. Wayne does not want to be disturbed."   
Jessica felt her eye twitch as she leaned closer to the lady behind the counter. "Listen here lady, I have not had a decent night's sleep in three days, three days. Do you know what that does to a person? No, because you sit behind this counter and you make phone calls."  
"That's not true, I organize papers as well."  
Jessica clenched her hands on the edge of the counter, the marble creaking under her strength. "If you do not let Mr. Wayne know I am here, I will personally escort myself up to his office. Do you want that?" She growled as the lady quickly snatched the phone and dialed the number to Bruce's office.  
"H-Hello Mr. Wayne, I'm sorry to disturb you but there's a reporter here from The Daily Planet to ask you some questions... I know sir but she's very persistent." She mumbled, making Jess roll her eyes. She was only persistent when she had to be. The receptionist put the phone back onto the receiver with a gulp, she looked afraid to deliver the news. "I-I'm sorry but he insists no one disturbs him, you will have to reschedule."   
Jessica pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down on it harshly, a smirk playing along with it. She tapped her fingers on the counter and nodded her head. "Thank you." She grumbled and spun on her heel, leaving the building with a quick stride. She left bed for no reason.   
The bustling streets of Metropolis never seemed to die down as people rushed past her. Now, in more comfortable heels, she walked down the sidewalk and contemplated her life choices. Something she always did when she was tired.   
Being pulled out of thought, she felt her phone ringing in her coat pocket. "Hello?"  
"I thought Perry told you to go home and sleep Smallville." Lois' voice spoke through the phone, making her sigh.  
"What can I say, reporting never sleeps. Besides, I’m on a roll. Two days, no sleep, I’m feeling great."  
"You keep this up, you're going to fall into a coma."   
Jessica snorted. “At least I’d get some sleep.”   
"Is there something bothering you? Ever since you and Clark defeated Zod, you've been acting weird."   
Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. It was always something with Zod with her, just because Jessica snapped his neck doesn't mean she's going to turn into a killer. What the hell does this look like? Gotham? "It's nothing Lo, just worry about what Clark's doing. He seems to be the one everyone worries about nowadays."  
"That's not fair and you know it."  
"I think I'm able to be mad about things once in a while Lois!" She hissed into the phone causing a couple of people to stop and look at her. "It's always Clark this and Clark that but what about me?"  
"Jess I... -"  
"Don't." She spat and hung up the phone, she was fed up with everyone. Clark wasn't the only one who saved the world ya know?  
“Help! Somebody help!” Jessica stopped in front of human traffic to listen in on what is happening.   
“Hey!” Someone yelled from their car. Using her super hearing, she concentrated on where it was happening at.   
"Look!" A man yelled, pointing towards the power plant. Large dark clouds poured out from every crack. Snatching her glasses off her face, she ran into a nearby alley and ripped open the front of her shirt revealing the beautiful S implanted in her suit. Jessica let her hair loose and flew up into the sky, a loud boom resonating through the air. Sucking in a deep breath, she blew a blast of cold air over the fire that was spreading over the building like wildfire.  
"Need help?" A voice asked as Clark flew right next to her. She looked at him and pointed to the building.  
"There are people trapped inside, you're the fastest, get them all out while I contain the fire!" She exclaimed over the loud sirens that were almost murdering her ears. Clark nodded his head but paused when a loud boom bounced off the walls within the back of the plant. "Go! I can't be in two places at once!"   
They both split up as Clark dove into the plant and Jess to the back. She used her freeze breath to try and contain the fire again, but it was no use. It was too strong. "Dammit!" She hissed.  
She noticed the smell of an odor, it was strong, possibly toxic. With a crack of her neck, she looked to see Clark had managed to save everyone he could. Taking that as her cue, she started to super speed all around the building, containing the fire as well as the toxic particles that were leaking out.   
Another loud boom was heard, the plant was collapsing in on itself! Now moving twice as fast to contain the explosion, the fire started to make a tornado of some sort as she moved upwards towards the clouds. The faster she moved, the faster the fire moved up towards the skies.   
Dizzy, she was starting to get dizzy. "Come on Jess, you can do it!" She encouraged, supporting herself the best she could.   
Finally clearing out the fire, she stopped and steadied herself. That was great! Well, it isn't great that a disaster happened, but she couldn't help but give herself a mental pat on the back.   
Floating back down to the ground, she checked in with the police and looked around. She took note of the damage and scolded herself. She could have tried to prevent at least the destruction of the plant.  
Flying out of the destruction zone, she landed on her balcony and walked into her apartment. She looked at her suit in her full-length mirror and noticed that she was covered in soot. God, this is going to be impossible to takeout.   
She tossed her outfit in the washing machine before taking a shower to get rid of the smell of ash. Then, like a flash, she was in some new clothes and already in front of the Daily Planet. She raced into the elevator before plopping her stuff down and into the staff meeting.  
“Get any sleep Kent?” Perry asked as drank his coffee.  
“Nope!” Jess smiled. “I’m running on adrenaline, coffee, Red Bull, and Five Hour Energy all mixed into one.”   
Perry sighed at the words that came out of her mouth. “Jesus, Kent!”  
“What?” Jess asked with a raised brow. “I’m here!”  
“You’re going to end up in a damn coma!”  
“Why do people keep telling me that?”  
Perry rolled his eyes, calming himself down before he locked her in a broom closet. “Never mind, Clark, start talking before I put your sister in a mental hospital.”   
Jessica turned her attention to her brother, her eyes narrowing at the sight of him. Clark gave a nervous smile towards his sister before speaking. “It's like a one-man reign of terror. This bat vigilante has been consistently targeting the port and the adjacent projects and tenements. And, as far as I can tell, the cops are actually helping him.”  
The female Kent furrowed her brows at the name. Bat vigilante? She’s heard about a man running around Gotham protecting people since she was in college. It was something that had always intrigued her, but she never found the time to investigate. Lois had volunteered one time to go with her to the city but the two were quickly named Mulder and Scully in their journalist department.   
“‘Crimewave in Gotham’. Other breaking news, ‘Water, wet’.” Perry mocked while moving his hands in the air to emphasize the headlines. “Did you file the football yet?”  
“Why aren't we covering this?’ Clark argued. “Poor people don't buy papers?”  
“People don't buy papers, period, Kent.  
Jessica decided to jump in. “Perry, when you assign a story, you're choosing who matters. And who's worth it” Clark nodded his head in agreement.  
“Good morning, Smallville. The American conscience died with Robert, Martin, and John.” Perry jabbed.

SOMEWHERE in an underground fight between a white, male, tattooed contestant and a Black male contestant, surrounded by spectators, including Bruce Wayne, who ended up catching the African American as he falls towards the audience after a strong punch.  
Bruce whispered something into the man's ear before pushing the fighter back in. The Black man delivered a few powerful punches to put his opponent to his knees, and then kicked him to knock him out. Boos are heard as the winner nodded towards Bruce Wayne, who nodded back.  
After the fight, Anatoli puts his cellphone on the table as a glass of vodka is filled for him. “Thank you.”  
He downed his drink, not once wincing at the burning sensation going down his throat. Bruce placed his phone on the table as well before delivering a paper to the bartender, who gave him an angry stare before leaving. “The house treats luck like an insult.” Bruce spoke with a slight smirk.  
Anatoli huffed out a chuckle. “Good luck for one has always given others misfortune.”  
“No, v kontse kontsov, vse scheta v kontse uravnoveshivayutsya. But, eventually, all accounts are balanced at the end.” Bruce replied in Russian. A very surprised Anatoli turns to him. “Three nights with a Bolshoi ballerina, the line was all she taught me.” Bruce joked lightly.  
“Not all, I'm sure.” Anatoli chuckled lightly. “Good evening.” He grabbed his phone and left without another word, disappearing through the crowd. Bruce flipped his phone to happily see the words:

Device Cloning Complete.

THE next morning, Alfred walked into Bruce’s modern-day mansion.   
Low and behold, he finds bottles of empty wine scattered all over the table. Alfred was not a detective, but he could always tell when Bruce had a lady friend over. Whether it be a past fling or a random beautiful woman from a party.   
The old butler huffed in exasperation as he held up a wine bottle. “Oh lord. I hope the next generation of Wayne’s won't inherit an empty wine cellar.” He spoke when he saw Bruce walk in to make the two of them coffee to start their day. It was usually an apology thing for leaving a mess. “Not that there's likely to be a next-generation…” Bruce approached the table with a sarcastic smile on his face, placing the cup on the table. “Thank you, sir.”  
Alfred starts taking papers from a shelf as Bruce fiddles with a laptop. “This is every call made from the Russian's phone. Two mentions of business with the ‘White Portuguese’ and it's continuing transmitting blackout data to the personal residence of Alexander Luthor.”  
“You think Lex Luthor is the ‘White Portuguese’?” Alfred inquired curiously. “I can't see that he needs the income from imported arms.”   
“Regardless, I'll need to put a 'leech' in his house. I'm going to need the suit.” Bruce explained while sitting down in one of the dining chairs.  
“The Bat interrogated six people and came away with nothing. It was Bruce Wayne that got the information.”  
Bruce sighed deeply. “Well, Bruce Wayne can't break into Lex Luthor's house.”  
Alfred smirked. “Bruce Wayne won't have to.” He handed over an envelope to Bruce. “He's been invited.” Bruce looked over the invitation for a cocktail at Lex Luthor’s mansion. With a small smirk, Bruce sipped on his coffee as he began to devise a plan.


	3. Masquerade

AFTER the long and frivolous talk with Lois, she helped Jessica get ready because Lord knew she needed it.   
She smoothed out her blue dress and tried to move her pinched toes. Lois clapped her hands together in awe. "You're like my barbie doll. You look incredible J!" She gushed causing Jess to blow a strand of hair out of her face.  
"Thanks, Lo." A knock at Jessica's door alarmed her, she snatched her glasses from the coffee table and slapped them onto her face. She composed herself and opened the door to see it was Clark. She slouched her shoulders to see he was in a suit; she was going to slam the door in his face but opted on being peaceful. "The hell are you wearing, Clark?"   
The smile on his face faded slightly. "I'm going with you."  
"You said you couldn't go; I wouldn't have gotten dressed up if you could." She growled with her finger pointed at him.   
The man raised his hands in surrender. "Turns out, what I'm looking for is going to be there.” He noticed the scary glare she was giving him. Maybe he should have just told her he felt bad about treating her badly and wanted to spend more time with her? “I should have let you know, I'm sorry." He apologized, the blue in his eyes showing sympathy.   
Jessica glared at him, grabbed her purse, and pushed past him. "Netflix and sleep were on my agenda tonight, Clark."  
"Be nice to him!" Lois called out but she was too far away to listen to her.  
JESSICA rubbed her pale arm in nervousness, she felt uncomfortable, there were rich people around her galore.   
She and rich people are two things that do not go. She was surprised that she and Oliver lasted as long as they did. Clark noticed her state, he never understood why she was so nervous around people. He could not talk; he was the same way. "There's no need to be nervous, Jess."  
"I'm not nervous..."  
"I can feel it through the bond."   
She scoffed at herself in her head, she forgot about the bond. She took a deep breath, wiping her palms on her dress nonchalantly. "I have a really bad feeling."  
"That's it?"  
"You know, you're no help."  
"Look… I'm here and there's nothing to worry about."  
"Yeah, that's such a relief." Clark went to say something else when Jessica noticed the frenzy of photographers rushing towards the upcoming car.   
Clark raised a brow at the way they went crazy. When he saw the man, tall, dark, and brooding, exit his car, he gave a playboy smile, winking at the females fawning over him.   
“Who’s that?” He asked with a tilt of his head.  
Jessica looked to see who her brother was staring at. She rolled her eyes when Bruce sent a wink her way as well. “Well, you’re new to the ‘Let them eat cake’ beat.” She sighed. “That’s Bruce Wayne, the richest playboy of Gotham City.” She shrugged her shoulders, grabbing Clark’s hand. “Let’s go inside.”  
The two enter the art gala, the warm air hitting Jessica’s exposed skin. She gave a contented sigh. Seeming to be just on time, the Library president, Nicky LeBlanc, talked into a microphone. “Philanthropist. Bibliophile. A true friend of the library of Metropolis. Mr. Lex Luthor.” The group applauded as a path was cleared for Lex to hit the stage.  
“Me?” He says, embarrassed. “Ah, okay. Nicky!” He kisses her cheek. “You're embarrassing me.” As Lex readies himself, Jessica is offered a drink by the waiters but refuses.   
Feeling eyes on her, she looks back as she and Bruce stare at each other for a moment before she looks forward again, rolling her eyes at the rude playboy. “Speech. Speech. Uh, blah, blah, blah. Open bar. The end.” Lex tried to joke. “The word Philanthropist comes from the Greek. Meaning a lover of humanity.” Lex explained. “It was coined about, 2,500 years ago…”  
Bruce, clearly with other plans, talks to a hidden earpiece. “Alright, where am I going, Alfred?”  
In the Batcave, Alfred looks at a digital schematic of the mansion. Bruce is represented by a blue line. “Go past the elevator, do a left.”  
Of course, hearing the little fly-like sound, Jessica is listening to the conversation with her enhanced hearing, turning around to see Bruce walking away. Clark went to follow but she stopped him. "Not yet..."  
“That’s where it must be. It's in the service corridor in the basement. Go down the stairs.” Alfred instructed again.   
Turning her attention back to Lex, she tried to rid herself of the curious whereabouts of Bruce Wayne. “Prometheus went with us, and he ruined Zeus' plan to destroy mankind and for that, he was given a thunderbolt. Choo! Hm. That seems unfair. On a serious note, the library of Metropolis…” Lex Luther stopped his speech when his eyes landed on Jessica’s vibrant blue ones. She raised an eyebrow in suspicion, is the bad feeling coming from him? Maybe she was just being paranoid, this was his gala after all.   
When both locked eyes with each other again after Jessica pulled away, she felt a connection. It wasn't one of those, I love you let's get married. It was a, I will destroy everything you love, vibe. Although, Lex could be getting a different vibe from her as well.  
Lex shakes his head, trying to get the beautiful eyes out of his head. “But, at one time, Dad could not either. No, my father could not afford the books, so... He had to root through the garbage for yesterday's newspaper.” He makes eye contact with her again, making Jessica uncomfortable. People around her are still in disbelief of the nonsense Lex is spewing. “Books are knowledge, and knowledge is power. And I am... Heh, heh, heh, no. I, umm, no, what am I? What was I saying? No. The bittersweet pain among man is knowing with no power. Because... Because that is paradoxical! And umm…” He cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming. Please, drink, it's free.”  
People applaud Lex in slight bewilderment at what just happened. That soon begins to go away when people begin to mingle.   
Secretly, Jess listened in on the voice from earlier, again. "Well while you wait, why don't you go mingle with the lady in the blue dress." He chuckled to himself. “In your dreams Alfred.” Jessica noticed she was the only woman in a blue dress. He was talking about her.  
As Night and Day began to play, Bruce entered the room while taking the last glass of a Martini from a passing waiter. Jessica goes in another direction as she sees him coming closer, dragging her brother along with her.   
“Stay here.” Clark instructed and approached Bruce with his chest puffed out. She swore to God almighty, sooner or later, he was going to end up having a restraining order one day. “Mr. Wayne?” Clark called out. “Mr. Wayne? Clark Kent, Daily Planet.” He introduced himself after he caught Bruce’s attention.   
The two shook hands out of habit. “Oh, my foundation has already issued a statement in support of the…” He snapped his fingers. “Books.” Bruce explained with this attitude that had almost a carefree feel to him.   
To Jessica, it was almost the douche-bagginess that caused the dislike immediately. She decided to walk past, giving her brother the signal to get out of there before it was too late but was unable to when Bruce followed her fit form across the room.   
Clark watched as Bruce undressed her with his eyeballs. He was a hair away from gauging his eyes out. His sister deserved more class than that. “Sir?” He grits out.   
Bruce blinked, looking back at Clark. “Wow.” He whistled. “Pretty girl. Bad habit. Don't quote me, alright?”  
Clark decided to jump straight to the questions. “What's your position on the bat vigilante in Gotham?” Bruce raised an eyebrow, looking back at the reporter that asked him a question before Clark got there.  
“Daily Planet?” He asked. “Wait, do I own this one? Or was that the other guy?”  
“Civil liberties have been trampled on in your city.” Clark pressed on. “Good people living in fear.”  
Bruce’s smile dropped; this reporter was a little too close to home with his questions. “Don't believe everything you hear, son.”  
“I've seen it, Mr. Wayne. He thinks he's above the law.”  
The playboy scoffed. “The Daily Planet criticizing those who think they're above the law is a little hypocritical, wouldn't you say?” He stuffed his hands in his expensive suit pockets. “Considering every time your hero saves a cat out of a tree, you write a puff piece editorial, about the aliens who, if they wanted to, could burn the whole place down. There wouldn't be a damn thing we can do to stop them.”  
Jessica could not help but scoff. He sounded so ignorant; they would never do that. They were there to save the day when no one else could. Why couldn’t people like him understand that?  
“Most of the world doesn't share your opinion, Mr. Wayne.” Clark said.  
“Maybe it's the Gotham City in me,” he shrugged. “we just have a bad history with freaks dressed like clowns.”   
Jessica saw Lex Luthor arrive to the two men who were ready to tear each other’s throats out. “Boys!” He exclaimed with a wide smile. “Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent. Ah, I love it! I love bringing people together! How are we?” Lex laughs happily, shaking Bruce’s hand first.  
“Lex.” Says Bruce dryly.  
“Hello, good.” He turns to Clark, extends his hand out again. “Hi, hello, Lex. It is a pleasure…” Clark pressed his hand a little too hard. “Ow! Wow, that is a good grip!” Lex smacked Clark on the chest playfully. “You should, not pick a fight with this person.” He laughed at his joke, not intimidated by the two men, who were taller than him, at all.   
Jessica slowly made her way towards the men, she needed to intervene before words were exchanged. Not that it hasn’t already through their heavy glares towards each other. She caught sight of Lex staring at her again as he called out to her. "Excuse me, Miss? A quick word?" He asked with a charming smile.  
Finishing her walk to the three men with her head held high, Jessica gave a shy, yet fake smile. "Hello, Mr. Luthor.” She looked at Bruce with a certain distaste in her mouth. “Mr. Wayne."   
Bruce gave a slight smirk. "No need for formality, call me Bruce." He flirted as he shook her hand, but Jessica did not buy it, knowing he had a reputation for flirting games.   
Jessica could not describe a relationship she has been in because she pushes them away. It is hard for an alien girl in the dating world. It hurts a man's ego. “Ha! So, after all these years, we've finally got you over to Metropolis?” Lex asked, drawing Bruce’s attention from the beauty beside him.  
“Well, I thought I come drink you dry.” He shrugged. Jessica resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  
“Well, you're welcome.” Lex chuckled. “You should hop the hub more often though; I love to show you my labs. Maybe we could, partner up on something?” He shrugged. “My R&D is up to all sorts of no good.”  
“That's seven minutes. Looks like the transfer's complete.” Jessica and, undoubtedly, Clark were again tickled by the hidden conversation, as Jessica and Bruce exchanged uncomfortable looks.  
Clark noticed the obvious tension between Jessica and Bruce and cleared his throat. He placed his large hand on her upper back and looked between Bruce and Lex. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this short Mr. Wayne, Mr. Luther."  
Bruce shot Jessica a wink. “Next time.” Before Clark could get away, Lex grabbed Jessica's hand and spun away with her onto the dance floor.  
"W-Well Mr. Luthor, you sure know how to woo a woman." She stuttered, adjusting her glasses before they fell off her face again. She might need to get them a little smaller, curse her small head.   
Lex chuckled and looked up at her, being probably about two inches smaller than her with her heels on. "Why thank you, I just saw you in the crowd and I just had to ask for a dance."  
"Well, more like whisk away."   
Lex chuckled. “I’ve seen this pretty face before.” He smiled.  
“I, um, was acquainted with your father.” Jessica said with a small smile. She remembered all the good he helped her with when she was out defending Metropolis. “He was a good man, to me, to say the least.”   
Lex frowned at her words. “Then you didn’t truly know my father. It’s a shame you were his favorite. He always needed a favor; just be glad he didn’t ask for one before he died.” Lex spun her around, which resulted in Jessica trying to get away but only falling into the arms of another person.  
"My apologies." It was more feminine, Jessica looked to see a beautiful woman with big bold red lips and a very gorgeous outfit.  
"No, I'm sorry, I can't seem to stop bumping into people tonight." Jessica sighed as the two women danced.  
"Trust me, you're quite gracious on your feet while dancing."  
"Thank you but, men in business suits are just a little intimidating for me." Jessica chuckled, embarrassed.   
The lady chuckled and twirled her around. "Men are like little boys, they fear what they do not understand.” She dipped Jessica with such grace. “Especially a beautiful woman like yourself." Jessica felt herself blush at the comment. If this woman was flirting with her, Jessica was down for it.  
"I'm Jessica, Jessica Kent."  
"Diana Prince, a pleasure to meet you." The beeping of her watch caught her attention as she pulled away. "I apologize, I have somewhere to be. It was nice meeting you Jessica, I have a feeling we will meet each other again very soon." She flashed a perfect pearly white smile and spun her heel, leaving Jessica on the dance floor by herself.  
"Mind if I cut in?" Jessica looked behind her to see Bruce with a small smirk on his face. She straightened her figure and smoothed out her dress.  
"No thank you, I have dignity for myself."  
"Ya know,” he scratched his cheek with his index finger. “I'm not what everyone claims to be."  
"That, Bruce Wayne, is hard to believe." Bruce moved closer to Jessica, she could smell the mint and Bourbon on his breath. It reminded her of her father, just more hardworking and humbler.  
"You're a reporter, I'll let you ask however many questions you want for only one small dance." He asked as his hands started to slowly move to her hips. He knew she would not say no, all-female reporters who were looking to get the 'big scoop' on what it's like to be Bruce Wayne.   
In Bruce's eyes as of right now, she was just like everyone else. Jessica raised a brow and gripped his wrist with her small hand. "Excuse me, I wouldn't suppose you think that playboy charm is working on me?"  
His eyes darted to his wrist and back up to her blue eyes. "Is it?"  
"No, it's doing the complete opposite." She hissed angrily. She pushed his wrist away from her and picked up her dress so she could walk and not stumble over her feet. She spun on her silver heels and went to march away so she could go home and finally get out of those toe-pinching shoes.  
"You know, every woman I've come across, they've never been like you." Bruce spoke, enjoying the sass he was receiving from her. It was different, tempting, very attractive.   
She turned around and looked to Bruce, her large curls framing her face as it bounced dramatically. "Oh Mr. Wayne, you've never met a woman like me." With those final words, Jessica began to elegantly walk off towards her brother who looked as if he was going to pop a vein. "Breathe brother, before you have a cow."  
Clark noticed Bruce going down a set of stairs during Lex’s speech. “Stay here, I’m going to follow him.”   
“But Clark!”  
“Stay!” Jessica watched as Clark calmly followed Bruce, not wanting to give anything away. Jessica crossed her arms with her nose scrunched up and used her enhanced hearing to listen in on her brother’s footsteps.  
Suddenly, the cries of the tv caught her attention. "...Un incendio mortal en una fábrica ha interrumpido la celebración del Día de Los Muertos en Juárez. A deadly factory fire has interrupted the Day of the Dead celebration in Juarez." Jessica couldn’t help the quiet gasp that left her lips. She was thankful she took that Spanish class in high school. "No puedo creer que van a dejar morir a esa pobre chica. I can't believe they're going to let that poor girl die." As Clark adjusted his tie to leave, Jessica was walking out of the gala, letting her hair down from its hair clip.

AS the factory crumbles to ashes in Juarez, Superman glides down carrying the girl who was trapped in the fire along with Superwoman carrying a little girl unconscious by the smoke in her lungs.   
The people watching take out their hats in reverence. As they kneel before a very thankful woman to deliver her children back, the crowd, many of whom are dressed in Día de Los Muertos skull make-up, extend their hands in adoration.   
After that night, news media everywhere were broadcasting the big questions. One was “The Super twin Question”, featuring the opinion of filmmaker Vikram Gandhi.  
“We, as a population on this planet, have been looking for a savior. 90% of people believe in a higher power. And every religion believes in some sort of messiah figure. And when this savior character comes to Earth, we want to make him abide by state-levels? We must understand that this is a paradigm shift. We have to start thinking beyond politics.”  
As Superman drags a stranded boat in the middle of the freezing Arctic by its anchor, author Andrew Sullivan is talking to GBS with the caption: SUPERMAN’S ACTIONS ARE POLITICAL.   
“Are there any moral constraints on this person? We have international law. On this Earth, every act is a political act."  
On PBS, Charlie Rose is interviewing Senator Finch. “Is it really surprising that the most powerful figures in the world should be figures of controversy?” He asked, his pen resting on his bottom lip.  
Senator Finch had her legs crossed; her hands locked over her knee. “To have an individual engaging in the state-level interventions should give us all pause.”  
As Superwoman saves a spaceship after its rocket explodes on liftoff, blogger Glen Woodburn talks to Metropolis News, Channel 8. “Human beings have a horrible track record of following people with great power, down paths that lead to huge human monstrosities.” Glen explained. “We have always created icons in our image. What we've done is, we project ourselves onto them. The fact is, maybe they’re not some sort of devil or Jesus character. Maybe they’re just some people trying to do the right thing?”  
In a small town in Texas, Superwoman saved a little girl from being run over by a bus. She lets the girl run to her mother where a group of people begin to crowd around the woman.   
One of the bystanders threw a glass bottle at the back of her head. Jessica used her body to shield the glass from hitting the baby in the stroller.  
They began to yell hateful words towards her like slut, for the length of her skirt, Alien scum, for being an extraterrestrial, and Satan for having powers to help people.  
In the same segment where Vikram Gandhi has spoken in, physicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson speaks. Amidst a horrid flood, a family on the ceiling of a house has painted the Super twin emblem, the emblem of hope.   
They investigate the sky, emotionally, as the twins float nearby, showing they have come to their rescue. “We're talking about a being whose very existence challenges our own sense of priority in the universe. If you go back to Copernicus, where he restored the sun and the center of the known universe, displacing Earth. And you get to Darwinian evolution and you find out, we are not special on this Earth we're just one among other life forms. And now we learned that we're not even special in the entire universe because there is Superman and Superwoman. There they are, aliens, among us. We're not alone."  
The program switches again to reveal Senator again. Charlie asks Finch the most asked question. “Are you, as a United States Senator, personally comfortable saying to a grieving parent, "Superman, or woman, could've saved your child, but on principle, we did not want him to act."  
The Senator gave a deep sigh. “I'm not saying they shouldn't act. I'm saying they shouldn't act unilaterally.”  
“What are we talking about here then?” Charlie grunted. “Must there be a Superman? A Superwoman?”  
Finch shrugged her shoulders, having no place to banish anyone. “There is.”


	4. Shadows

THE night of the gala, Bruce made his way into the Batcave while grumbling to himself.   
He had lost the biggest piece of evidence that was going to help him with this, what seemed like, impossible puzzle. Sitting in his chair, he ran a hand through his graying hair and looked at the blank screen in deep thought.   
To his annoyance, his mind wandered to the reporter that he wanted to dance with earlier in the evening. Not expecting her to be so sassy and snarky but did it with some type of class.  
He could tell she was tired from the way she tried to hide the obvious dark bags from under her eyes. Besides the fact that she looked amazing in that blue dress, he just could not conclude why she was so guarded. It annoyed the detective that he could not read her like he does other people, she's a harder puzzle.  
Of course, he was not one to judge. He dressed up as a giant bat every night and prowled around Gotham City. He could tell he was a little rude about how he approached her. He should have noticed the sound in her voice when they first met each other.  
She sounded so unimpressed. He was usually one to read people so easily, but he was just off his game.   
Bruce typed away at his keyboard with speed. Jessica Kent was what found its way into the search bar. He was curious about who this woman was, big time. His current relationship with Selina Kyle was starting to become almost painful.   
The loss of Jason and struggling with the amount of work from Wayne Inc. to being Bruce Wayne and Batman were starting to take a toll on the man.  
Although he would not trade being Batman for the world, he just wished he could drop Bruce Wayne. That little boy died along with his parents all those years ago.  
The computer came up with only one result. Clicking on her file, he began to investigate curiously. "Jessica Aileen Kent... graduate valedictorian of Smallville high?" He hummed in surprise. “Valedictorian? I’m impressed." He continued. “Graduated with a doctorate and head of class from the department of Science, human, and technology but a journalist at the Daily Planet?" He tapped his chin. That one did not make sense. "Why would you give up science for a journalist job? Not much to uncover about you is there?" Bruce mumbled to himself.   
One thing did surprise him, what surprised him was her birth certificate. April 18th, 1986. The day the Meteor showers happened in Smallville, her hometown. He decided to do some more digging, maybe there was more than what he thinks. He typed in exactly that: Smallville Meteor Showers, 1981. Multiple files popped up onto his screen as Bruce began to click onto them.

TEEN GIRL MORPHS INTO THE BODY OF LIONAL LUTHER.

LESLIE WILLIS BLAMES SMALLVILLE METEOR SHOWER FOR LOW RATINGS. TRIES TO KILL LIONAL LUTHER.

TWINS FOUND BY MARRIED COUPLE.

That piqued Bruce’s interest. He clicked into the article, studying the picture that was plastered on the front. It was of two children, wrapped in a blanket, in the arms of the married couple. They were twins for sure, same height, same nose, eyes, everything.   
Bruce realized why those eyes felt familiar. He remembered that it was the same newspaper his father was reading the same morning his parents were murdered. “You were orphaned.” He leaned back into his seat. “Just like me.”  
He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly and looked back at the screen. He turned off everything in the cave and headed upstairs to get some sleep. He just hoped the night terrors did not find their way to his dreams. 

BATMAN, a visibly more aged Batman, steps out of a set of heavy metal doors in desert clothing over his cowl.   
He walked out onto the sandy cliff, the wind running past pushing up the beige material, causing a storm of itchy sand. Bruce scanned his eyes over the landscape, rows, and rows of skinless buildings that have been abandoned. The door he walked out was one of a stone bunkers in a seemingly desertic location, covered in ruins and barbed wire.   
Pillars of fire-like volcanoes surround the area. Bruce looks through a pair of binoculars. A fleet of trucks arrives in the ruin compound. Bruce walked down the way he came and trudged through the mountains of sand.   
He approached a truck as its back door opened. Having a brown trench coat on, he walked up to a man and asked a question. "Do you have it?" He asked. “The rock?”  
"Yes, follow me."  
Batman hesitantly walked into the truck, this shipment that was in this truck could be the key to ending this god-awful war. Before Bruce could realize what was happening, he looked into the container to see nothing, but wires connected to a green bulb. The clicking of a gun is what alerted him.  
"I'm sorry..." The man whispered as Bruce raised his arms in surrender. This was a trap. Troopers with the Super Twins emblems as shoulder patches reveal themselves to Batman and his allies.  
Another soldier points his rifle at Bruce. He held his hands up, and by turning around saw his men being executed. “No!” He screamed, kicking the false lightbulb into the man that was holding him at gunpoint.   
Angered, he began a killing spree, gunning down and brutally beating multiple Troopers working for Superman. Although he managed to take down most of them, big bug-like creatures, their teeth were sharp, skin scaly, and their smell for fear, stronger than any other, invaded the area and abducted many of his resistance fighters.  
Batman is overwhelmed by the remaining troopers, who could barely restrain him. He snaps one of their necks but then is brutally beaten down and restrained by the other troopers.   
Seeing the damage that Batman was inflicting on the troopers and their inability to restrain him, one of the monsters knocked him unconscious.  
It was not until Bruce snapped his eyes open with his arms above his head a few hours later to realize the trouble he was in. He thought it was all a horrific nightmare. He recuperates chained up in the bunker with his remaining allies, eyeing them helplessly.   
Superman himself lands in the bunker, and his troopers, reverently, bow before their leader. He approaches Batman, swiftly murdering the other allies with his heat vision. Bruce was certain his sins were about to be cashed in today. What he did could have been avoided. Now, he needed to fix his mistakes but now it was too late. He was a dead man walking.  
Superman then unmasks the infuriated vigilante with a scowl. Bruce was breathing heavily, staring his enemy in the face. Clark looked to the mask in his hand then dropped it to the floor. "She was my world… My other half…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “and you took her from me." Batman looked shocked as his expression changed when he saw Superman's expression change from sad and regretful and back to anger. “And now…” He placed his hand over Bruce’s symbol of what he believed to be justice. "I'll take what's most valuable to you."  
Superman yanked his hand back and plunged it into Batman's chest. Bruce screamed in agony as the dream changed, with his eyes still squeezed shut, he opened them and ran his hand over his chest. No hole.   
Bruce was standing on the street of Gotham. He looked to see a couple coming out of the distance. He noticed them getting closer and was able to make out who they were. It was him and the reporter from the gala. He was confused about the whole situation until he got the picture.  
He was going to ask them a question when he saw it. A mugger appeared out of the shadows; a gun pointed in their direction. Bruce pushed her behind him with narrowed eyes.   
As Bruce watched from the alleyway, the snapping of something from where he was caught the mugger's attention. Jessica took it upon herself to attack the mugger. The other Bruce went to jump in when the sound of a gunshot was heard. "No!"   
The woman fell back into his arms as the mugger ran off. Bruce found himself now in his dream Bruce's place. He shockingly watched Jessica breathe words, her final words, out of her bloody mouth. "Be happy." She mumbled, her hand resting on his cheek.  
"But I don't..." He could not form a correct sentence.  
"Don't let him win..."  
"Who?"  
"Don't let him create a monster..." With that, her eyes dilated, her skin became cold, her heart gave out, and the life from her was ripped away. Bruce felt the memory of his mother dying the same way.   
A scream ripped from the confines of Bruce's soul, waking him up from his awful nightmare.   
A nightmare that was a warning.

BRUCE awoke from this nightmare to find a distorted and unstable blue portal of electricity right in front of him.   
It appeared from the corner of the cave, papers flew everywhere, creating a mess that Alfred would scold him for. Inside it is a mysterious time traveler, a man, in all red, was reaching out to him.   
"Bruce!" The voice echoed. "It's her, Bruce, it's Jessica!” Bruce watched the man with a confused stare. What was he talking about? “Am I too early? I'm too early!” He hissed to himself. “You were right about everything. Fear him!"   
As if in a blink of an eye, Bruce yet again woke up from the never-ending dream. He ran a hand through his hair. He was confused about the entire matter, what was happening to him?

FOR the rest of the time he spent in bed, with this woman he had no reception of bringing home, Bruce could not seem to get the dreams out of his head.   
This mysterious reporter was plaguing his mind. Superman killed him, most likely over the reporter, and the man in red with his warning. Bruce shook his head and looked at his watch, a dream, it was nothing but a dream. "1:30." He sighed and rubbed his face.   
The white bedsheets beneath him were wrinkled and sprawled in different directions, his pillows tossed onto the floor. He suddenly recognized who he had slept with, reporter Vicki Vale. He was in for a serious shit show with her once she found him not in bed with her.  
He began to think about if Jessica is important. Should he get to know her? Put his detective skills to work?   
He rolled out of bed and headed down to the cave. He felt a bit like a stalker in some way, but he needed to know. He needed to prevent the end of the world from Superman. Writing down her address from the computer, he suited up, hopped into the Bat plane, and headed to Metropolis.  
FINALLY making it home, Jessica dropped her shoes by her entryway and closed the door.   
She grumbled to herself at how bad the traffic was in Metropolis; you would think at close to midnight people would be off the streets. Jess dragged her feet to the bathroom, took a shower, and made sure to treat herself with hot water. She scrubbed all the makeup off her face, washed and combed her hair, brushed her teeth, and put on her pj's.   
By the time she finished, it was already 1:30. Hungry, she wandered over to her kitchen and opened the fridge to see what goodness she could discover.   
Jess decided to settle on a plum, devouring it till only the seed was left. She licked her lips in happiness, throwing the seed out. She could always depend on food to make her happy. Who needs a man when you have Olive Garden?  
Jessica walked back to her room with a little skip in her step, she was finally going to get a good night's sleep. She did not have to work until Tuesday, she was all set.   
She opened her balcony doors that were inside of the room, allowing the cool air to enter her room. She laid down on her comfortable bed and rolled the blankets up to her chin, the warmth engulfed her, and she knocked out like a light.   
It could not have been more than twenty minutes for her brain to suddenly dive right into her worst memory. The day she stained her hands with the blood of life.

ZOD had just enclosed Clark in a prison cell, made of debris, in the middle of, what was once, the entrance of the train station.   
Jessica finally got up off the floor, allowing the little girl she saved to run off to safety. She brushed off the dust off her suit, tugging her skirt down. She wished she had pants like her brother, but she supposed a skirt was more flexible.   
When her eyes landed on her brother, her heart began to beat faster. He was going to die if Zod kept adding pressure onto Clark's encasement if she did not do something. "Zod!"   
The general turned his gaze to the other piece of the puzzle. The Codex rested in the bones of the other child of Jor-El. "Kalura, how brave of you to show up." Zod spoke, releasing his foot from the cement slabs on Clark's chest.   
"You leave him alone." Jessica warned. "You leave these people alone."   
Zod scoffed, it bounced off the walls around them. "You disappoint me, Kalura. I thought you were smarter than Kal." He looked at Clark with hatred in his eyes. "I suppose I was wrong."  
"No, I am smarter." Jessica pulled out a crystal from behind her back. "I transferred the Codex from inside our bodies into this crystal that was with us as a baby." She wagged it back and forth with a smirk. "I suppose this is really valuable to you?" Zod clenched his jaw in growing anger. In all honesty, that huge crystal in her hand was found on the ground just as she let that little girl go to find safety.   
"Give that to me." He growled, taking a step closer.   
Jessica stepped back with every step he took towards her. She needed to play this lie off correctly, one slip up and it could mean life or death of this planet. "Do as I say, and I'll give you this to you when you agree to leave earth."   
Zod narrowed his eyes at her. "Never."   
Jessica shrugged her shoulders. "Fine." The super activated her heat vision, heating the crystal to the point it exploded in her hands.   
"No!" Zod screamed, falling to his knees to hold the remains of the "Codex". He clenched his fists together with the ash inside the palm of his hands. He brought them up to his forehead, his anger rushing through his veins as his hands shook. Jessica could tell she made a mistake, but she refused to back down.   
“Now, there’s nothing for you here.” Avowed Jessica with no remorse at all. She’s dealt with people like Zod, the conceited and cocky attitude was nothing new to her. She could also sense his battle was not over just yet. “Leave with what dignity you have left.”  
It was silent for a few moments, the only thing heard was the wind rushing through Jessica’s red cape. It was when Jessica thought she would have to pull him up to his feet was when he finally spoke. "Look at this..." He mumbled, looking at the ashes in his hands. "LOOK AT THIS!"   
He showed Jessica the monstrosity she's done. "We could have built a new Krypton... in this squalor." He spat. "But you chose the humans over us!" Jessica watched the general in pity, not anger, not disgust, just pity. Pity on a man who just wanted his home back. But how could Jessica miss something she never knew existed in the first place?   
"I exist... only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which I was born, and every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people. And now..." He swallowed his tears. "I have no people." He slammed his fist on the floor, making Jessica jump a little. "My soul... that is what you have taken FROM ME!"  
"You brought this upon yourself Zod," Jessica growled. "No one told you to use Earth’s bones as the foundation for Krypton. No one told you to look for my brother and me!"  
Zod closed his eyes, squeezing them as tight as he could. The pain felt good. It's what he lived for, what he thrived on, but not as much as inflicting it on others. "I'm going to make them suffer, Kalura. These humans you've adopted, I will take them all from you... one by one." He spat, standing to his feet.   
"Jess..." Clark wheezed, trying to get out of the concrete. "Don't..." Zod threw another slab on top to keep him stuck in his stone prison.   
“I want you to watch as I take away everything you love.” Zod growled, pointing his finger at Jess. “Starting with her.”   
Jessica clenched her fists; she used her new ability to lift her into the air. "You're a monster, Zod... and I'm going to stop you." Zod flew forward, grabbing Jessica by her throat and slamming her into the floor. The impact created a crater in the ground, marring the beautifully crafted tiles below her.   
Jessica grabbed his wrist, not liking the way the air escaped her lungs. Zod snarled, lips pulled back to reveal his teeth. It reminded her of a dog with rabies. How sickly and terrifying they could become. "There's only one way this ends, Kalura. Either you die..." He picked her up by the throat. "or I do!"   
“Sorry to tell you,” Jessica used her foot to kick him between the legs. “I have more fight in me than you would think.” Zod roared in pain at the feeling of his loins being crushed with her toes. She launched her legs into his stomach, kicking him up into the air.   
She followed him through the hole in the ceiling. While flying after Zod, she had lost sight of him in the foggy skies of a wounded Metropolis. She looked around, trying to find him in the dust.   
"Where are you?" She whispered to herself. She spoke too soon, feeling a sharp pain shoot through her back. She cried out at the way Zod's foot collided with her spinal cord. Her vertebrae whined with cracks and pops as she was launched into the building in front of her.   
"I was bred to be a warrior, Kalura, trained my entire life to master my senses." Zod explained with narrowed eyes. Jessica turned around to look at him, her blue eyes narrowed. "Where did you train? ON A FARM?" He shouted.  
Jessica flew into Zod, punching and kicking whatever she could hit on his body. She felt every punch, heard every crack, it made her feel almost inhumane at how naturally this came to her. With a final blow, she brought her interlocked hands up over her head and swung it down like a mighty hammer onto Zod's chest.  
He flew back down into the train station with a groan. Jessica flew down like a bullet but before she could land a blow, Zod used his fist to punch her in the throat. Jessica tumbled to the floor, skidding like a rock in a lake.   
Zod's eyes flashed over to the human's running for cover. "If you love..." He began to get up. "these people so much..." Jessica looked at the general with wide eyes. Before he could run at the family trapped in the corner, Jessica wrapped her arm around Zod's neck.   
He delivered a couple of blows to her ribs with his elbow, jabbing at the soft spots. She jumped with every hit he made but she never let go, her will was stronger than her pain. She squeezed around his jugular tighter, feeling the way his throat bobbed when he tried to swallow.   
She squeezed her teeth together so tightly that she could feel them gritting against each other. Zod gripped onto her forearm tightly.   
"Then you can…” He gagged slightly at the pressure on his Adam's apple. “mourn for them!"  
Zod activated his laser vision, trapping a family, trying to escape, in the corner. Jessica tried her best to turn Zod's head, to redirect it somewhere else. "Please don't do this!" She cried, pleading with the stone-cold general.   
"Never!" He growled.   
At that moment, Jessica was met with her first real decision. Not what college she should go to or when she would truly come out as a hero.   
No, it was her first real life or death situation. It was something she always knew that there would come a day where she would have to take a life. It is not something she ever wanted to happen; god forbid she took pleasure in what she was debating. Her parents taught her that taking someone else's life was not who she was.   
But Jessica did not have time to think about it. She did not have time to think about being the law-abiding citizen she thought she was. She had no clue who she was and that, that was what truly petrified her. How was she supposed to know what to do when she doesn't even know what she would do?   
It was when her eyes met the teary-eyed gaze of the mother of the family in the corner. Jessica felt how scared she was, how she feared for the life of her children, and how she cradled them to her.   
How her husband pressed himself up against all of them as though his body would be the shield to save all. All she saw was her mother curling up into the corner of the wall, sobbing, and cradling her and Clark.  
That was when she knew what she had to do. To be the hero she was meant to be because the decision she made would define what she wanted to be. The woman who had to make the tough decisions when no one else could.   
Jessica braced herself for what she thought was the right thing, but she truly did not grasp the repercussions of what she was going to deal with. How the long-term effects were going to leave her emotionally broken and closed off.   
Unable to truly find what she could be or become. With a scream, Jessica squeezed her eyes shut and twisted Zod's neck with all the power she could muster.   
Crack.  
The screaming stopped and the rushing of Jessica's blood pumping through her ears was the only thing she could hear. She did not want to open her eyes. She knew if she opened them, the reality of what she just did would sink in. She thought if she kept them closed long enough, that the ringing of a breaking neck would fade away.   
It never did.   
It rang through her ears, came out one ear, and dipped right back in to torment her some more. Just as Zod's body fell to the floor that was when she made her first movement. A flinch. She looked like a scared little girl after seeing something in the hidden darkness of her small closet.   
She knew they were just clothes and toys, but her brain convinced her there was a monster inside. It dawned on Jessica that the little girl starring her fears in the face was her innocence and the monster hidden in the dark was her.   
Instead of running to her parents, she had no one to run to. Thinking that Zod’s body was something else, she imagined it like a sack of horse oats. It was heavy, loud, and lifeless.   
It was Jessica’s mistake to blink her eyes open. For when she did, Zod's eyes stared straight back at her, a sight that would haunt her for the rest of her life. The eyes of a murderer suddenly became her very own.  
She squeezed her hands together, tears flooding her blue eyes like a breaking dam. Her lip trembled, her heart raced, and most of all, her hands were tainted. Jessica let out a fierce scream rip from her throat, everything that has led up to that moment was released into the dull air.   
It left Jessica with just an empty vessel, her soul, her happiness, her hope, lost in the dark abyss of the murder she committed seconds ago.  
Jess yanked at her midnight locks with another scream. This time, it was in remorse for Zod. Why did she have to be the one to taint her hands?  
The thing that made it even worse was that it was the life of her kind. No matter how many times she told herself there was no saving Zod, she could not help but have a slight inkling that he could have been saved. She always chose to see the best in people. She just did not try hard enough.   
She did not think about how there was no saving him on Krypton, when her father, Jor-El, tried to save him. Zod could not be saved when he murdered Jor-El in a flurry of unbridled rage when Clark and she were sent to earth. If she would have thought about everything at that moment, she would have known there was no saving him at that exact moment.   
Zod was just a man, obsessed with saving the life of his people, and did not care who he hurt or what he did to get it. That someone could be so cruel and have their life taken away so easily. That was what broke her.


	5. Collide

JESSICA flew straight up out of her dream. She passed a hand through her dark locks with a loud gulp.   
The white nightdress she wore was contorted, almost suffocating the natural curvature of her torso. One of the white straps rested off her shoulder. She did not bother to fix it either.   
As she contemplated getting a glass of water or going to the bathroom to splash cold water over her face to bring her even further to reality, there was a thud at her balcony. She froze right like she was in a horror movie. Jess slapped her glasses on her face and climbed out of bed, slowly walking to where the sound came from.   
The white transparent curtains of her room were blowing with the wind, creating an almost silhouette of the dark entity outside her room. She founded it almost hilarious that a robber would try and rob her. She had nothing they would want anyway, except her laptop, tv, and stereo system.  
Just as she pulled back the curtains, it was gone. Confused, Jessica walked out to the terrace. The stone, cold, underneath her bare feet. She could have sworn she saw someone out on her balcony. "I need sleep..." She mumbled, turning around while rubbing her eyes under her glasses. She paused when she noticed the shadow of a man, hanging upside down, engulf her frame.   
Slowly looking up, there it was, hanging upside down like a vampire. Jessica was ready to scream when the man wrapped his hand around her mouth. "Don't scream, I won't hurt you." He spoke gruffly. She frantically shook her head yes. She could use her powers but that would give her away. She had to comply unless necessary.   
She scanned her eyes over the man and noticed the symbol on his chest. The Batman. "I'm going to remove my hand now." The deep octave of his voice sent shivers down her spine. Jess stared into his chocolate eyes for a moment, he confused her like a jigsaw puzzle.   
She did not have that feeling as she did with Lex, he was different. Slowly, Jessica nodded her head yes. When he removed his gloved hand from her mouth, she instantly began to ask a question. She needed to figure him out and fast.  
"What are you doing here?" The bat stayed unmoved in his position.   
"I wanted to ask you a question." Jessica crossed her arms, her long, still damp, hair covering her shoulders. He disturbed her, well needed, sleep for a question?!  
Bruce could not help but admire her. The way her right foot curved upward as all her weight rested on her left leg, her hips leaning to the same side. The moonlight illuminated her creamy skin in the right way, almost making her look like an angel.  
"And what is that exactly?" She asked, snapping Bruce out of his thoughts. Back on track.  
"What's special about you?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Superman himself has taken a liking to you and the other female reporter, Lois Lane." He asked as Jessica slowly nodded her head.  
"What's it to you?" She asked with a raised brow, she did not like where this was going.  
"Why do you trust him? After all, he's done. Along with his twin?"  
"They try to help people to the best of their ability, I mean, I saw her kill her kind to save a family from being killed.” She explained. “If anything, those two are heroes to people like you, they're misunderstood.” She narrowed her eyes at him, moving closer. “What have you done? Punish people by being the judge, jury, and executioner?" She snapped with sass.   
That seemed to have struck a nerve with Bruce, the man jumped down to his feet with his cloak covering his body, making him seem more menacing.   
"You don’t know what I've done, what I've been through, what I’ve seen.” He growled darkly. “Those people out there in Gotham are nothing you've seen before. They are murderers, sex traffickers, pedophiles, and the list goes on. I do what is best for the people in Gotham! What have those twins done? Take people away from their families!" He bellowed with his hands clenched into tight fists.   
During their argument, Bruce was walking closer to her, leaving Jessica no choice but to walk backward.  
"It's not like that!" She countered, feeling her back hit the thick stone ledge. "T-They didn't mean to cause all that destruction, it was Zod's doing!"  
"That's what they told you? Are you that naive?" He spat. Jessica slapped him across the face, catching him off guard.  
"You dare come into my home!" She hissed, going to push him away but Bruce grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to him.  
"They are the real monsters. The sooner you realize that the smarter you will be." He growled. Jessica looked up into his eyes to see he let his guard down. He was broken, he lost someone people, too many for someone to stay sane. She looked down to his symbol to study it, it is seen things as well.  
"Maybe… you're the one misunderstood." She mumbled, looking up at him. Bruce stiffened slightly at the feel of her fingertips running over his chest.   
He watched her intently, she was different from Selina, Talia, and Rachel. He barely knew her and felt so connected. He wanted to know her. He needed to know her.  
“What are you doing?” He asked.  
“Trying to evaluate my next move.”  
“And that is?”  
“Trying to see if you can be saved.”   
Bruce looked away with a deep sigh, one he did not want to let go of. No wonder why the twins took such an interest in her, she tried to look for the good; no after who they were. "Can I trust you?" He asked again.   
She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. "Well, I can keep a secret, so yes, you can trust me." She whispered gently; the vibe hit her like a book to the face.   
He was not menacing nor was he as awful as some people made him out to be, he was just a man looking to do the right thing. She felt herself move closer to him, grabbing his arms in her small hands. He hesitantly placed a hand on her waist, it was as if he could not control himself.   
"Can I trust you?" She asked this time.  
"I've…” He looked away. “I've lost people… people who've trusted me." He mumbled with a sigh.  
"Don't be hard on yourself, I've met people that trusted me. When you realize that you cannot be god, that you can't save everyone, you won’t blame yourself as much." Jess explained gently, sorrow in her blue eyes.  
"That's why you're so special...” He started. “you don't give up, even with every emotion going on in your head. Nothing will stop you from helping someone else. You know what it's like to feel...-"  
"Broken..." She mumbled, she felt herself leaning in closer to the giant bat she just met; he seemed to be doing the same. She thanked God for the Batman holding her up, if not, she would have fallen to the floor.  
Her heart raced, her spine tingled, and her hip burned at the feeling of his hand on her at all. When she felt her nose brush against his masked one, felt his breath fanning over hers; there was knocking on her front door.  
She began to panic, who was at her door at two in the morning? "Who's that?" Bruce asked, seeing Jessica was panicking.  
"You need to hide!"  
"Why?"  
"When I open...-" She turned around to find him gone. "I'm gonna have to get used to that." She mumbled but took no time to wonder where he was. She calmly walked to the door the best she could and slightly opened the door. She had to pretend to be tired. She was met with her brother with his hands behind his back.  
"Clark? What are you doing here so late?"  
"I had a feeling you were in trouble."  
"No, I-I'm fine." Jess heard a small whine. Confused, she crossed her arms. "Well Clark, if you missed me you could have just said so." He shook his head with a nervous chuckle.  
"No, no, that wasn't me."  
"Then what was it?"  
"Well, I thought you would like some company."  
"So?"   
Clark pulls out a small white puppy from behind his back, to Jessica's surprise, its eyes lit up red. She started to freak out. "Oh my god, he's so cute!"  
"While I was saving those people in Mexico, something else came up in a lab. People had run and left him in a cage. I noticed he could set things on fire with laser vision. I thought he was perfect for you, also to make up for being a not-so-good twin." He explained with his signature nerdy smile.  
"Clark you shouldn't have..."  
"Well, you're welcome. Now I'm gonna go home. Lois is probably wondering where I am." With that, he kissed her forehead goodnight and left for his apartment downstairs. Jessica smiled and took the small dog in her hands; she smiled and kissed his nose.  
"I'm going to call you Krypto… the super dog." He wagged his little tail and put his paw on her face, licking her cheek as if in appreciation of finding him a home.   
Jess chuckled then went back inside. She nervously looked around, wondering if Batman was going to pop up out of nowhere. She used her X-Ray vision to look for his body heat.   
When she found he was not there, she sighed in relief. She looked down at Krypto to find him sleeping in her arms with his paws hanging off. Jessica carried him to her bed, placed him on the bed, and went to close the balcony doors.   
She paused, deciding it was best to leave it open. It was hot after all. She got in bed and put the blankets over herself and finally got some well-deserved sleep.  
A few minutes after she had fallen asleep, Bruce quietly jumped down from his hiding spot on the roof. He looked to see her sleeping form on the bed, knocked out with a puppy right next to her. He stared at her for a moment before closing the doors to her balcony.   
He was addicted to this woman and he knew she was going to be the death of him. One way or another, he would protect her. Even if his life depended on it.


	6. Bubbly

AFTER waking up to puppy kisses, Jessica groaned at the thought of having to start her day.  
She wished she could just be a bum, lay in bed all day, binge-watch Homicide Hunter, and eat food all day. That is all she wanted to do but she could not. She had to be responsible. Throwing the heavy duvet off her pale legs, Jess lazily swung them off the edge of the bed. She got up and dressed.  
Before she could do anything else, she noticed her balcony doors were closed. She clearly remembered leaving them open. Jess walked closer to observe if there was anything, she had to be mindful of. She opened the large white distressed doors to find an object resting on her little table that was for decoration.

Emergencies   
-Batman

It was a small touch screen phone that looked like it could be a flip phone from 2005. She furrowed her brows while walking back inside her room. She stuck her glasses on her face, grabbed her keys, and left her apartment with Krypto in hand.   
Jess decided to take a trip down to Pet-Smart and get Krypto a few things. A red Jeep awaited her, ready to take her to her destination. She strapped the small puppy in and got in the driver's side, driving down to Pet-Smart.   
When they entered the store, Jess placed the small pup on the floor and made sure he stayed next to her, snapping her fingers when he went to wander away. Jessica looked to the collars frowning when she could not find a decent one.  
The sounds of Krypto whining caught her attention, she looked down at him. He had a red collar hanging from his mouth.   
"You like that one?" She asked bending down, taking the collar out of his mouth. Krypto whined again while pawing at her leg. Jessica smiled and picked up the puppy. "Okay, okay, I'll get this one." She took the collar from his mouth and put it in the cart.   
Next stop food, she took a bag of puppy-chow and put it in the lower cart. Finally, she paid for everything and started rolling the cart to her car. A loud boom resonated above her before a gust of wind flushed itself over her body. She looked over her shoulder to find Clark standing behind her in his suit.  
"They want us in Washington, a month or two from now." He said with his arms at his side.  
"You can go." Jessica shrugged while turning her gaze back to the trunk of her car. She held no interest in going to D.C. She knew there was going to be mass chaos the minute she and her brother landed on the steps of the capital.   
Some people wanted to adore her and her brother, thankful for having saviors that watched over them and others who were too ignorant to see that the twins were there to help them. "They want us both there." Clark sighed.  
"Well, tell them I said no." Jessica was getting in her car when he stopped her.   
He knew what this was about. "Don't try to be normal, it never works."   
Jessica rolled her eyes; did he have blood on his hands? She did not think so. "It's not that, it's just...-"  
"You think dad won't approve."  
"I'm just trying not to get the ones I love hurt.” She grunted. “Trust me, I have a bad feeling about this whole Washington situation." She sighed, petting Krypto’s head with a deep sigh. It was true, she felt as though something terrible was going to happen. Usually, when she had that feeling, she was always right.   
Before she could say anything else, she turned to see Clark was gone. Jess rolled her eyes and got in her car, what was it with people not understanding they were there to help?   
What made them such a threat when all they did was rescue kittens from trees and stop horrific attempts at ending human life?   
She understands herself, murdering someone to save everyone else but her brother? That man would not hurt a fly on someone’s head. She looked at Krypto and smiled.  
"You're the only boy in my life that makes sense." Krypto barked in response. She reached in the back and pulled out his red collar. She put it on, kissing his head.   
God, what has her life turned into? She looked at Krypto and pet him. "Should I go?" He gave yet another bark in response. "You're no help." She grumbled with a sigh.   
With or without the bark, Jessica knew she was going to Washington. Whether she liked it or not. When she arrived home, she allowed Krypto to run to her bedroom as she followed. Her eyes landed on the phone Batman had left her, all though it was for emergencies, she needed to talk to him.   
In three quick strides, she snatched the small smartphone off the nightstand. Before she could decide, her senses tingled; alerting her that it was time to save the world. She quickly switched into her suit and flew out of her balcony.

WITH a deep sigh, Jessica plucked out pieces of leaves from her hair.   
Runaway trains were nothing new for her, but it would be nice to avoid tree twigs and leaves from knotting themselves in her hair.   
She always looked like a caveman right afterward and ended up spending twenty dollars for restocking up on two new hair combs because her hair thought it would be hilarious to snap the bristles off; followed by the handle crumbling to plastic pieces.   
She landed on top of the Daily Planet’s orb for a tranquil moment of peace. She loved watching the sun go down over the horizon. She always felt the most powerful while looking at the sun and somehow was always up right before it came up so she can feel its warmth on her pale skin. She was on top of the world, even though she felt like she was at her lowest.   
Jess pulled out the phone Batman gave her with a gulp. She felt her heartbeat in her ears, she could not understand why he made her so nervous. Was it the dark brooding nature that dripped off him like water off a leaf? Or could it be the mysterious attraction he decided to show her lonely being.   
She could have just liked the attention, liked the adrenaline of being so close to him and not knowing if he was going to roughly grab her or softly touch the skin of her cheek.  
“UGH!” She groaned in exasperation. “What are you doing to me?!” She looked down at the call button with 374 showing proudly on the screen. “Here goes nothing.” She mumbled before she pressed the phone to her ear. After just two rings, a deep voice drawled through.   
“Is everything alright?” Batman asked, he sounded a bit panicked. “Are you okay?”   
“Look, I know the phone is for emergencies, but I need some… advice?” Jessica squeezed her eyes together in ideocracy. She felt so dumb.  
“I thought the note said emergencies.” He grunted. “Not for personal calls.”  
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “So, your little visits from Gotham to my balcony aren’t personal?”  
He gave a low growl, making Jessica’s skin crawl in little goosebumps. “I’m hanging up.”  
“No, wait!” She covered her mouth before sitting down on the planet. “I need your help.” It was silent, this most likely meant that he was listening. “Remember how I said that I knew the twins?” He hummed in agreement. “Well, the lady, Superwoman, needs to show up at D.C. to meet congress and she doesn’t know what to do.” She mumbled.   
“She knows what's going to happen and she’s… afraid. She loves humanity with all her heart, but she hates how they treat her heroic saves as a burden.” Jessica rubbed her forehead. “What would you do?”  
She knew he was contemplating what he would do. “I don’t save the world. I save the city of Gotham. The police department appreciates what I do but not all of Gotham does.” She heard his hand hit his thigh with a deep sigh. “I know you care for this… friend of yours, but she can’t make everyone happy. Believe me, twenty years in Gotham, you’ll see what promises are worth.”   
Jessica gave a deep sigh before smiling gently. “Thank you, for talking to me and not hanging up.” He grunted once more.  
“I find it increasingly hard to stop myself from talking to you anyway.” He shrugged. “Besides, hearing your voice makes my dark life just a little brighter.”  
“Is that a compliment?” She smirked with a smile.  
Bruce felt himself smirk at her words. “Depends on what your mood is.”  
She bit her lip to stop herself from giggling like a teenager. “I don’t know, there’s this guy, tall, dark, and brooding.”  
“So, I assume he’s your boyfriend?” He grunted out, trying to act like he sounded annoyed.   
She finally let herself snort in laughter, handing flying to her mouth to stop herself from making too much noise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh.”   
Bruce smiled as he clicked on a couple of keys on his keyboard while Alfred watched from afar with a knowing smirk on his face.  
He caught a glimpse of Alfred lurking from beside him before rolling his eyes. “I have to go, remember, the phone is for…-”  
“Emergencies only, I know.” Jessica smiled before saying a sweet goodbye that made Bruce’s cold heart warm up like the Grinch in the Jim Carrey adaptation.   
“New fling Master Wayne?” Alfred asked, walking right past Bruce with that same smirk on his face.   
The Wayne heir rolled his eyes at the tone Alfred held alone. “She’s close to the super twins. She’s an asset.”  
Alfred nodded his head as he began to mess with the Bat suit’s armor. “That’s not what the flirting sounded like.”  
“Could you please.” Bruce sighed with his eyes narrowed at his butler. Alfred knew that is what happened when Bruce got defensive over a woman he cared for.  
The butler raised his hands in surrender. “I won’t speak of her any longer, I promise.” Bruce turned back to the picture of Jessica on the screen, glasses down the bridge of her nose with a smile on her face. “She's lovely, isn’t she?”  
“Indeed, she is…” Bruce mumbled in agreement, not realizing the game Alfred was playing at. When he did, he snapped his gaze back over to Alfred. “Seriously?”  
The older man merely chuckled in amusement. “I apologize, Master Wayne, when it comes to a good woman like that, I simply cannot help myself.”

LATER that night, Jessica flew to Smallville, Kansas, her home in her suit, she awaited her mother to come outside like a child all over again.   
"I heard what happened." Martha sighed, grabbing her daughter's hand.  
"I don't know what to do... some people... they make us out to be the bad guy." Jess mumbled to her mother. Martha was always there for her. She just hoped she was going to hear what she needed.  
"People hate what they don't understand, but they see what you do, and they know who you are. You're not a killer. A threat?" She looked away with a sigh. "I never wanted this world to have you or your brother." She sighed again, the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes tightening. "Be their hero, Jessica. Be their monument. Be their angel. Be anything they need you to be."   
Jessica looked straight ahead to the stars, maybe if she looked hard enough, her father would be there. "Or be none of it. You don't owe this world a thing, honey, you never did." Martha spoke gently, running her hand over Jessica's hair. Motherly advice for someone who truly needs it.

THE sun had begun to tower over the Daily Planet, illuminating the giant golden sphere that sat atop one of the oldest newspaper companies in all of Metropolis.   
Jessica was usually always one of the first people, in her office building, to be inside. It was her extra time to do some more research in the records archive without getting her ass chewed out by Perry for not working on her articles.  
For someone who had a secret identity, she sure was bad at being sneaky. That day, she opted on just going straight to her cubicle before the day started. Started meaning she would bump into someone and get coffee spilled all over her clothes.   
When she managed to avoid even that, Perry was yelling at her about something. Today must be her lucky day. “Alright people, a couple of stories for today!” Perry shouted, catching everyone's attention. “We got last night's game, Kansas State versus Metropolis Sharks.”  
Jessica smirked before turning her attention to Chris, a tall middle-aged black man who had a small scowl on his face. “I expect my twenty dollars in fives and compliments.” The office erupted into a fit of chuckles.  
“Alright, back on track people.” Perry redirected with a smile on his face.   
“I’ll take last night's game.” Chris sighed. “Although it was disgraceful.”   
“Just like your bets against Jess.” Lois teased.  
Perry continued with a roll of his eyes. He had the most immature reporters, but he couldn’t help but be thankful they’ve kept him entertained through his years at the Planet.   
“Now, we have a press conference downtown.” Stacy raised her hand, writing notes down at the same time. “Lois, you got the court case downtown, and, last but not least, one of the girls that were found in one of those safe houses for sex trafficking in Gotham reached out to us and wants us to help get her story out.”   
Jessica and Clark both jumped up at the word Gotham. “I’ll take it!” They said in unison.  
“They’re doing that weird twin thing again.” Nick grumbled as   
Jessica threw her pencil at him with narrowed eyes. “And you're bringing your two senses into things again.”  
Perry rolled his eyes at their bickering. “Jess, you have Gotham. Kent, you have sports.”  
“Perry,” Clark started. “I don’t think sending Jess is a good idea.”  
Perry raised a brow, curious to see how this was going to play out. “Why not?”  
Clark tucked his hand into his pocket. “For starters, she’s not equipped to handle a story like that.”  
“Oh, and you are?” Jessica started as Lois squeezed her eyes close.  
Perry and Chris made eye contact with each other before they mouthed ten bucks, placing their bets on who would win this argument that was ready to brew.   
The office looked at each other, not knowing how it was going to go. Jessica was usually quick to just give in, but it seemed she had a motive to get over to Gotham. “All I’m saying is Gotham isn’t a safe place and you’ll be by yourself.”  
“So now I can’t take care of myself?”  
“Yes!” Clark bit his tongue the minute the words flew out his mouth. The whole office sucked their teeth or looked away as though they pretended they had not just witnessed Clark tell his own sister she was unable to take care of herself.  
“Wow, thanks Clark.” Jessica hissed with her arms crossed, turning away from her brother and back to Perry. “I’m taking the story.”  
“Good,” He nodded. “Now everybody get to work.” Perry disappeared into his office, not before Chris handed him his ten dollars, Jessica began to collect her things to head over to Gotham.  
“Jess, I… I didn’t…-”  
“I don’t want to hear it. If you think I’m so incapable of doing anything myself, that's totally fine.” She shrugged, shoving her drawer shut. “I guess that just shows how far apart we’ve grown.” With that, Jessica walked down the hallway with a tremor in her aura.  
Clark sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. No matter what he did, he always seemed to mess up their relationship even further. He loved his sister with every fiber in his body, all he wanted was for her to be safe and know he cared. He wanted her to know he would be there, but he seemed to even mess that up.   
“That was low,” Lois began. “Even for you.”   
“I know.” He muttered, picking at a strand in his pant pocket. “I just don’t want her to get hurt.”  
Lois sighed, grabbing her purse as well. “Clark, you know what kind of woman Jess is. She is too independent to constantly have you hovering over her shoulder. She’s better off doing her own thing.”   
“How could you say that?”  
“Clark, you need to remember something, and I want you to carry it around for the rest of our lives.” Lois placed her hands on his shoulder, looking him straight in the eyes. “I was her best friend before I was your girlfriend.” She stated sternly.   
“I know her better than she knows herself and frankly, as much as you claim you do, do you really know your own sister?” Clark clenched his jaw before looking down at his leather work shoes. “Honey, I know you want to protect Jess, believe me, but you’re not teenagers anymore, you left, and she grew up.” Lois explained with sympathy in her eyes. “She’s been watching out for her own back since college and if there’s one thing Jessica can do, better than anyone, it's listening to her gut.”  
Lois placed a quick kiss on Clark’s cheek before walking towards the elevators to get the day started. It left Clark to wonder how distant he and his sister had really become. 


	7. Russian Roulette

IT was a weird spot, to say the least. Jessica had heard about the Narrows, but she never assumed it would look so sad.   
It broke her heart to see people resting in tents in the alleyways or trash piled up on the sidewalks, waiting for garbage day. What did warm her heart, however, was kids running around in the middle of the street with their friends after a fire hydrant burst open.   
It sprayed water onto the road, drenching the side of Jessica’s car, but she did not care, as long as those kids kept their smiles. It was a particularly hot day so Jessica could not blame the kids for wanting to have a fun day to just cool down.   
Finding a parking spot, she carefully squeezed herself inside. “I wouldn’t park there ma’am,” A Hispanic woman said while braiding her daughter's wet hair on the steps of her apartment building. “That’s a nice car, wouldn't want someone to jump you from the alleyway when you leave.”  
Jessica locked her car before smiling towards the woman. “It’s fine, I won’t be too long.”   
The woman chuckled when she noticed Jessica’s badge. “You’re from Metropolis, figures.”   
“Is that a bad thing?” Jess asked curiously.  
“Not necessarily.” She shrugged asininely. “You Metro-folks are so used to Superman saving your behinds all day every day, you forget what it feels like to be on your guard.”   
Jessica motioned to the step next to the mother with a smile. “May I?”  
“I don’t mind it.” Jess sat herself down on the stone step, making sure to keep her purse close and legs tucked in to avoid anyone from tripping over her legs. The woman tied off her daughter’s hair before patting her shoulder to signal she was finished. “Watch out for those cars!” The girl nodded with a huge, gapped smile while rushing to her friends, making sure to look both ways before crossing the street. “You see,” The woman started. “You all in the fancy city have hope but what we have is a little something called a can of ass whoop.”  
“How so?” Jessica questioned.  
“He’s a shadow, always listening, always watching, and when you break the law; it’s like hell has been unleashed.” She answered. “He goes by many names, the Dark Knight, vengeance, El Cuco, but us normal folk know him as…-”  
“Batman.” Jess finished with her brows furrowed behind her glasses.  
The woman chuckled. “Yes ma’am.” She looked to her daughter with a softer smile on her face. “I don’t have a problem with him, not one bit. He saved my little girl’s life a couple of years ago. It happened so fast, I looked away to deal with my boss demanding to spend more hours at the club and someone just snatched her from me. Right out of my hands.”   
The woman sighed. “I couldn’t eat, sleep, until my baby was home. It took three days, three days for him to track down whoever stole my baby, beat them to a manchar, and came to find me with my baby in his arms.”   
The two ladies stared at the little girl with smiles. “She’s beautiful.” Jess complimented with that same smile perched on her lips.  
The lady agreed with a nod of her head. “Thank you.” She shook her head before holding her hand out. “Carmen.”  
“Jessica.”  
She whistled with a smirk, laughing lightly. “Oh, that’s so white.” Jessica could not help but laugh at the joke. When Jessica realized that she was supposed to be working, she took out a picture.  
“It’s been fun talking to you, Carmen, but I need your help.” She handed Carmen the picture of an Asian woman. “I need to find Manami Shibata.”  
“Ami? She leaves on the first floor of the building.” Carmen shook her head. “Poor girl hasn't left her apartment since that night. She lives in 1C.”  
“Thank you, I appreciate the help.”  
“Remember,” Jessica paused her movements, stopping on the second to last step. She turned her head to face Carmen with curiosity. “Don’t be out at night. Lots of sickos will love to snatch your pretty self-right up.”  
With a nod of her head, Jessica continued inside. Loud music blasted from inside one of the apartments while screaming and arguing were heard in another. Jessica cautiously took in her surroundings before knocking on the door labeled 1C.   
Multiple clicks from the locks inside alerted Jessica that someone was opening the door. It opened ever so slightly, revealing an almond-shaped eye poking through the slot in the door.   
“Ms. Shibata, I’m Jessica Kent. I’m a reporter with the Daily Planet, do you mind if I come in.” She quickly opened the door and ushered Jessica inside. She closed the door, locking all the locks.   
“Thank you for coming…” She muttered, motioning for Jessica to follow her into her living room. Right off the bat, Jessica could tell Manami came straight from Japan.  
Her accent was thick, and she tried to sound as American as she could to blend in, but it didn’t work as well as she wanted it to. Jess took a seat right across from Manami, all the while, taking in her surroundings. The windows were covered with thick black blankets, the only light really coming into the room was the side table lamps.   
The apartment was quint, little pops of color in the paintings she had hung on the wall of cherry blossom trees and Samurai men. “Tea?” She asked with a raised brow.  
“No, thank you.” Manami sat down in her armchair while messing with her hands. “There’s no need to be nervous, I’m not going to hurt you.” Jessica reassured. “You also don’t have to be afraid of using your accent.”  
Manami gave a breathy chortle. “No, I know, it’s,” She swallowed thickly. “Terrifying, I suppose.”  
“Well, let’s start.” Jess nodded while pulling out her recorder, placing it gently on the coffee table. “Let’s start from the beginning.” Just like that, Manami spoke like a flood of truth. She talked about how she was abducted, where she was held, how she was treated.   
“And then it came.”   
“It?” Jessica repeated.  
“Yes, all other women tried to forget but I couldn’t. It was a he, tall, dark, mean at first sight.” She explained. “I saw man in all dark clothing. He had a…” She moved her hands over her chest to symbolize something. “A… Kōmori?”   
Jessica furrowed her brows in confusion. “A symbol?”  
She shook her head yes before grabbing a notepad from beside her. She quickly drew a sketch before showing Jessica. It was a picture of a bat in sharp, jagged, lines. “Kōmori.”  
“A bat?”  
“Yes! Bat.” She placed the notepad onto the table with a deep sigh. “We all tried to hide but he said not to be scared.” She shook her head gently. “He was so soft… like monster with flower. But Aku no upstairs made noise and he was angry again.” Manami made eye contact with Jessica. “He may seem like a Dōbutsu to you but he’s Kyūseishu to me.”

HOW she always got herself in these predicaments was always beyond her.   
Currently, Jessica was rushing out of Manami’s apartment building to get back to Metropolis. She felt so stupid for not checking the time but at the same time, Jessica wanted the sun to go down.   
In some weird and twisted way, it somewhat excited her but being in Gotham at night also terrified her. She made sure to cover all her bases when trying to walk back to her car.   
She knew she should have checked over her shoulder one last time. She felt a hand slap over her mouth before dragging her into the alley behind her.  
Jessica elbowed the man in the ribcage before headbutting him. “Don’t touch me!” She hissed.   
“You’re from Metropolis aren’t you a pretty little thing. Don’t you know it’s dangerous to walk Gotham’s streets at night?”   
Jessica swallowed thickly before slowly reaching her hand up to her glasses. “I think you picked the wrong woman to mug.”  
The thug smirked. “Oh yeah?” He asked. “Who says I’m mugging you?” He moved closer to her. “You’d make a pretty penny on the market.”   
“You stay away from me!” Jessica hissed.   
“And who’s gonna stop me? You?”   
“She won’t but I will.” The voice growled in the shadows of the alleyway.   
The man swung around with his gun pointing in the darkness. “Stay the fuck back!” The man cried, taking Jessica hostage at gunpoint. “Where are you?!” A grappling sound was heard, coiling around his leg and hauling the thug into the shadows. A shriek was followed by a couple of bone-crunching punches.   
Jessica flinched every time she heard the breaking of bone. She knew she should’ve run away, run to her car, and pretend it never happened but she couldn’t move. So much for the bravest woman on the planet.  
Batman could never be able to do anything to her, but she still felt helpless. Maybe it was since she just witnessed her abuser be ripped into the dark and heard his nose crack and burst open at the contact of the dark knight's scarred gloved knuckles. “Ms. Kent,” His deep voice drew out, stepping out from the shadows of the alleyway. “Are you alright?”  
“Fine… just spooked I guess.” She mumbled with her right hand rubbing her upper arm. She needed to take her mind off the situation that just occurred all because she was being careless and did not turn around one last time. “How did you find me?”  
“I was patrolling this street,” He answered. “Making sure a little girl I saved a couple of years ago is still at home.” Bruce jerked his head towards her. “What are you doing here in Gotham?” He questioned, moving a step closer. “It’s not safe here, especially at night.”   
Jessica pointed her hand behind her timidly. “I was interviewing a couple of eyewitnesses for work.” Batman’s brown eyes remained unmoved. He wanted a better explanation. “I thought it was only going to be an hour, but I guess I was wrong...” She trailed off embarrassed. “Thank you for, um, saving me.”   
He grunted in response, holding his hand out to her. Jessica watched it as though it was a trap. To her, she was overthinking what it could mean. “I’m not going to hurt you, give me your hand.” She swallowed thickly before placing her hand inside his. He gently pulled her close to him before reaching his hand to his side. “What are you doing?”  
“Do you trust me?” She blinked her big blue doe eyes at him for a second before slowly nodding. Bruce took that as his cue to raise his arm above his head. “Ever flew before?”  
“Eh… no?” With a smirk on his features, he pressed a button on whatever gadget he was holding. It latched onto the ledge of the roof above them, shooting them up into the air.   
Jessica gasped in surprise at the sudden feeling of the ground being torn away from her feet. It is not that she has not flown before, it's just she hasn't flown without using her powers to do so.  
She clung to the giant black mass with wide eyes, looking around at the city for a second just as he catapulted in the air. It was for a moment, falling back down just as fast as they went up, but to Jessica, flying without having to exert any effort at all, was exhilarating. She watched the stars grow closer to her before it was ripped away and saw the misunderstood beauty of Gotham for only a few short moments.   
When the Batman landed, he replaced his tight hold around her waist with a much softer tone. She must have looked like a mess with her hair in a tangled rut and falling out of her ponytail, but he saw the beauty of her wonder to a city that tried to rob her only fifteen minutes ago.   
Without thinking, he tucked a wild strand behind her ear as tenderly as he could.   
Jessica shifted her eyes over to him with raised eyebrows. He cleared his throat in embarrassment. “That was un…-”  
“It’s fine.” She smiled, turning her head back to the view of the city. “You have a beautiful city. I’m glad there’s someone to watch over for it.”  
Batman grunts before responding. “People don’t see it that way.”  
“I know the feeling…” She mumbled with her arms crossed. “Either way, you choose to do it because you see the good in the city, in the people. If others don’t see it that way, then they should remember how it was before you decided to save them… twenty years ago?”  
He smirked lightly at the last part of her sentence. “You remembered?”  
Jessica felt her cheeks warm up over the brisk Gotham air. “W-Well, I…” She began to curl her hair over her finger after letting it out of her ponytail to distract her racing heart on his very forward teasing.   
“I just think twenty years of fighting crime is quite heroic. The super twins just started a little under two years ago…-”  
“Which makes them amateurs.” The dark knight interrupted quite rudely. “It also makes them a threat.”  
“What is it with you and them being a threat?” She scoffed with her arms crossed. “They aren’t invading your city or…-”  
“But when a Metropolis reporter, who's close to Superman, starts coming into my city, poking her nose into things she shouldn’t, then there's a problem.” He growled while pointing his gloved finger at her chest, looming over her just like her own shadow. “You haven’t realized how much of a threat they are because you're so swept up in the fantasy of two beings that are from another world, you forget the actual danger they impose.”  
Jessica pushed her glasses further up her face. “Like what?”  
“Were you not in Metropolis when their kind invaded? I mean count the dead, Kent, hundreds of lives lost.”  
“There could’ve been more if they hadn’t intervened! Superman told me that Zod was going to use our planet as a foundation to rebuild theirs. If they hadn’t acted…-”  
“If they hadn’t announced their presence to the world, families wouldn’t still be mourning.” He snarled.  
“If they hadn’t announced their presence, a family wouldn’t be complete and criminal activity wouldn’t be at its lowest!” She argued with her hands clenched to her side.   
Batman slammed his hand against the brick wall, making Jessica realize that he had backed her up against the wall of the roof. He loomed over her again, with his teeth bared, jaw tightened, and eyes blown in a vicious rage that could frighten anyone. Anyone but her.  
She knew his game, thought about it repeatedly in her head while at work. Even though she thought she had it down, she obviously did not.  
The rain had started to pour, calming the heat of the afternoon into a warm shower. Jessica felt water droplets fall from his mask and right onto her forehead.   
It slid down the bridge of her nose, down her cheek, glided down her neck, and into the exposed cleavage of her shirt. “And what do you think Superman would do if he found out you were communicating with me?”  
“He would trust me.” Jessica grumbled. “He wouldn’t hurt me.”  
“Then you’re a damn fool.”   
“And what are you, a saint?” She growled back.   
As the rain poured over the two, Bruce could not help but share a passionate kiss of desperate zeal. Lip locking, teeth clashing, skin grabbing, and saliva exchanging fervid, right there in the pouring rain.   
It was in the moment, a heated argument of pent-up frustration that unleashed itself to each other’s sexual desire.  
He had visited her multiple times on her balcony to talk about anything they could. It usually always ended in an argument like the one they had before they began making out in the warm water.   
Everything was desperate and needy. Almost as though he had not been truly touched by a woman in ages.   
That is when he knew she was dangerous to him. Bruce was willingly allowing himself to be frustrated over this woman, mentally, physically, and sexually. Seeing her whenever he had free time as Batman was killing him.  
He pulled away from her lips as if they burned him with her passion of desire. Their foreheads rested against each other as Bruce kept his body pressed against hers, along the brick wall, hands tangled in her long soaking midnight locks.   
“We’re playing a dangerous game.” Jessica breathed out over the rain. Her rosy lips begged to be roughly pressed against his once more, a desire that was there to stay.  
It took Bruce a few seconds to reply. He was processing the sentence she had spoken very seriously. It was true, the more he was around her, the less he could control himself.   
It was like a game of Russian Roulette between the two. The longer they played, the more they risked catching that bullet in the head. He swallowed thickly before letting out a gruff, “I know” and overlapped her lips once more.


	8. Beautiful Disaster

AFTER a sultry encounter with making out with the Batman, the Kent woman was on edge the next morning at the office.   
Lois seemed to notice. Jessica sat at her computer and frivolously typed away creating a new column on Manami’s story.  
Of course, she ran her idea by Perry, he declined the idea of it but when Jessica kept swinging on the pros on the Batman, well, he still declined. She had not told Clark about it because she knew about his Batman crush frenzy.  
She could not focus on anything, but the dark knight pressed up against her with the wall to hold her there. She knew she should have said something.   
She could have avoided the emotional storm raging inside her head as she tried to figure out what the hell she was feeling.  
Jess knew she could not tell Clark; he would crucify him and then her. She was nervous to tell Lois because telephone, telecom, tele-Lane. There was one person she could tell and that would be another close friend, Sheilah.  
The beautiful black-haired 28-year-old is nothing but a sassy sweetheart. Today she was wearing a long black sleeve shirt with a white and black striped vest that brought out her curves a lot more.   
Black slacks that had two buttons on each side of her hip and sporting her famous black boot heels. On the top of her head, she was wearing the black beanie Jessica gave her for her birthday a couple of years ago.  
The woman kept it in good shape this whole damn time. How she does it is beyond Jessica; the girl wears it all the time. Normally to work, Sheilah would keep the beanie home and have her hair up in a messy bun which shows off the little semicolon tattoo she has. Jessica and Lois still, to this day, have no idea what it means.  
Jessica felt Lois spin her around with a raised brow. She squished Jessica’s cheeks together and started searching for something in her eyes. Jessica swatted her hands away in annoyance. "What are you doing? I'm trying to work Lo."  
"Wondering what you were doing last night."  
"I was in... Kansas!"  
"Yeah right,” Lois scoffed. “you start to get overconfident when you're lying, trust me you and Clark are the same person."   
Jessica leaned back more into her seat and messed with her pencil. "I was in Gotham last night, I almost got kidnapped, and he saved me.” Lois’s face still did not buy into it. “And we kind of… might have… made out against a brick wall on the roof of some apartment building."   
Lois’s mouth dropped open while Sheilah pulled up her office chair. “This should be good.”  
"Are you freaking serious?" Lois muttered quietly, bending down when she saw Clark walking into the office.   
Jessica nodded her head, looking down at her pencil. Sheilah punched her in the arm catching her attention again. "You wanted it to happen!"  
"I guess...-"  
"Don't ‘I guess’ me, say you did."  
"I did okay! He is mysterious and sweet at times when he wants to be. Then, other times, he's a total douche bag with a spine." Jessica grumbled. "I don't know, maybe I just have a thing for men with big arms and bigger...-"  
"Woah, calm down." Lois interrupted with her hand over Jessica's mouth.  
She removed her hand and rolled her eyes. "I was going to say bigger hearts. Head out of the gutter lady."   
Sheilah chuckled. "So, you two didn't…" She made a circle with her thumb and index finger, using her other pointer finger to go through the whole.   
"No!"   
"It was a question!" Sheilah gasped. She looked up to see Perry standing above her. "Jesus!"  
Perry looked down at three females and crossed his arms. They were always huddled up in Jessica's cubical. "I didn't know there was a girl scouts meeting going on." Perry spoke.  
“For your information, I was never in girl scouts.” Jessica said with her finger pointed up to the air. Perry shot her a look. “Or I was, you believe what you want.” She recoiled with a nervous smile.  
Perry looked at all of them again. "Is this what you do all day? All of you?"  
"Basically..." Sheilah chuckled with a smile across her face. Perry rolled his eyes and purposely knocked a pigtail from her hair. "Perry!" She groaned, crossing her arms causing a chuckle to escape from Perry.  
He pointed to Jessica catching her attention. "What did I do this time?" She asked with a raised brow.  
"You have a visitor."   
Jessica looked at the girls then back to Perry, who would want to see her on a Monday? "But I wasn't expecting anyone today."   
Perry moved out of the way to reveal Bruce Wayne himself. "Hello?" Sheilah and Lois said at the same time.  
Jessica crossed her arms, remembering exactly what happened at the Gala. "Hello, Mr. Wayne, what can I do for you?" She asked politely with a slight sass in her tone. Sheilah and Lois obviously picked up on it.  
"Well, no need for formalities. You two already know each other." Lois chuckled turning around, slapping the back of Sheilah's head to follow.  
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior at the event." He sighed, pushing his hands into his jacket pockets. Lois and Sheilah both looked at each other in deep interest.   
Sheilah rolled her eyes and turned back to pretending to do whatever she was doing before.  
"It took you almost a couple of months, hm?" Jessica asked.  
"Well, I had to figure out who you were and what floor you worked on. Your friend,” He motioned to Sheilah. “helped me, Ms. Buckholz I presume?" Sheilah froze from drinking her Starbucks latte she got earlier that morning.  
Jessica hit Sheilah in her arm as the Latina/German mixed woman groaned in pain. "¡Mira! ¡Pensé que él estaba buscando a alguien más! Look! I thought he was looking for someone else!" She whined holding her arm.  
Jess crossed her arms and looked back at Bruce. "Look, Mr. Wayne, I'm a little busy at the moment...-"  
"If you were to go out to lunch with me, I'll let you ask me any questions you like." He interrupted, catching Jessica's attention.  
"Any question?"  
"Yes."   
“One second, Mr. Wayne.” Perry jumped in before she declined. Perry dragged her chair off.  
Jessica held onto the bottom of her seat with a gasp. “Perry!”   
“Okay, Kent, I know you don’t like Gotham city elitist over there but that would be a great interview for the Planet.” Perry explained, eyes darting over to Bruce who was being integrated by Lois now. “No one has been able to get a complete interview on Bruce Wayne besides Vicki Vale.”  
Jess rolled her eyes with a scoff. “That’s because she sleeps with him.” Perry raised a brow at her. “Okay, so I listen to reporter gossip, sue me.”  
“Jessica.” Perry sighed.  
“You want me to sacrifice my dignity for an interview?” She gasped quietly.   
Perry rolled his eyes. “Actually, it’s just your pride.”  
“No,” She declined, crossing her arms over her chest. “No way in hell.”  
“You’re under contract.” Perry brought up, using his many tactics that always never work.  
Jessica smirked at him. “My contract also states I decline any story I am given.”  
Perry sucked his teeth. “I’ll let you do that Batman article you’ve been nagging me about.”  
Jess smirked at his offer. “Ho, ho, extortion?” She covered her smirk with her hand. “You’re that desperate?” When Perry glared at her, she groaned. “Fine! I’ll Take him out to lunch. Just stop staring at me like Othello.” Perry dragged Jessica right back, patting her on her shoulder when they returned. Jessica looked to Lois and Sheilah one last time for confirmation.   
Without speaking, Jessica nodded her head. "Fine, I'll go to lunch with you." She glared at Perry. “Since I obviously have no choice.” Jessica stood up, seeing it was five minutes past her lunch break. "I'm picking." She snatched her jacket off the back of her office chair and walked straight past Bruce.  
Sheilah gave a laugh in amusement. "Good luck with her."  
Jess and Bruce walked into the office, eyes all over the two. "So... do you always randomly ask women out to lunch or am I the first?" Jessica asked, looking down at her nails. They were both waiting in the elevator for it to descend to the first floor.   
Bruce cleared his throat and stuffed his hands into his pockets nervously. "I, um, don't think that matters." He mumbled. Jessica looked at him, licking her bottom lip. She was going to give a snappy remark when the elevator stopped.  
"Oh, not again." Jess sighed starting to press the help button on the elevator.  
"What's the emergency?" The voice from the speaker spoke through.  
"The elevator stopped working again, Charles." A loud sigh escaped through the other side.  
"Stupid piece of junk.” He grumbled. “Anyone else in there with you?"  
"Yes."  
"Alright, just sit and relax, you're going to be there a while." Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose; she is stuck in an elevator with the biggest playboy on the planet. "I could always keep you company, ya know, maybe finally ask you for that dat... -"  
"No thanks." She declined immediately, making Bruce chuckle under his breath. She slowly sat onto the floor and got comfortable with a gentle huff through her nose. Bruce watched her for a moment then followed. To her, he was oddly calm.   
An awkward silence fell between them, that is until Bruce spoke up. "Do you like Metropolis?" He asked, looking over to the annoyed reporter.  
"Metropolis is... home, I guess you can say, there's no other place like it." She looked at Bruce. "How's Gotham?"   
Bruce gave a chuckle and looked down at his watch. "Gotham is just as dangerous as it was yesterday. It gets better with time; I'm just glad Batman is helping the city as much as he can." Jessica felt herself smile at that. Batman, the mysterious man in the mask. "Did I say something?" Bruce asked with a raised brow.  
"What? No, it's just, nothing to worry about." She mumbled in embarrassment; she began to scold herself mentally.  
"Did you grow up in the city?" Bruce asked, causing Jessica to lean her head back against the elevator wall.  
"No, I grew up in a town called Smallville in Kansas. Everything is so small, and everyone knows everyone, but that will and forever be my home." Jessica explained with a smile, she missed her mom and, most of all, she missed her father.  
"I bet your parents are proud."  
"Oh, trust me, when I won the Pulitzer Prize for my article, she threw a party.” Jessica chuckled at the memory. Her mother was so excited that Jess could tell her mother was hiding something.   
When Jessica and her mother reached the house, the upcoming hero could have sworn someone was breaking into her house. She burst through the door, ready to take on the attackers, only to be stunned with red and blue confetti and streamers.   
“My dad always told me I was going to be something, I just wished he was here to see it." Jessica mumbled the last part. Those last couple of words seemed to catch his interest.  
"Your dad?" Jessica froze at those words, her father, the man of wise words and generosity. She could not help but feel the throb of pain in her heart. Bruce noticed the way her demeanor changed and recoiled back from his question.   
"You don't have to answer that, I know how touchy parent questions could be." He explained with a shift of his legs. "You know, when I was younger, I kept count of how many times someone asked me about how my parents died or how they were completely heartbroken at the loss. By the time I was sixteen, I lost count." He chuckled at himself.  
The faintest chuckle was heard from Jessica. He could not help but feel almost proud. Almost. "I couldn't begin to imagine what that must be like... seeing your parents shot in front of you." She said gently.  
Bruce looked away from her piercing blue eyes, suddenly interested in the loose thread on his jacket sleeve. "It traumatized me, that's, to say the least."  
"Maybe that's why you spend your time with so many women because you long for the hole in your heart to be filled." Jess hinted but quickly covered her mouth, realizing how rude that must have sounded. "I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me."   
Bruce shook his head and waved her off, he wasn't mad or offended nor did he see her as any less of a person, it was because it was true. For so long, Bruce went through so many women in his lifetime from Selina to Rachel, all because he wanted to feel that love that was ripped away from him oh so long ago.  
"No, you're absolutely right." He nodded. "I say this because you look like you've been through the same thing I have." He added, catching Jessica's attention.   
She crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk. How could this rich fancy boy know anything about an alien commoner like herself? It would for sure be awestruck if he were able to understand her. Like anyone can. “Hmm.”  
"You've lost someone, most likely your father from the way your attitude changed when you mentioned him." Bruce deducted with almost a straight face, for a few seconds he saw the look of nothing cross over her face.   
Maybe he was wrong? Usually, he never was when it came to these things because he has seen it in so many villains in Gotham. The loss of someone close to them, it happened with Harvey when he lost Rachel and when Victor Fries lost his wife Nora. The doubt suddenly all went away when he noticed the hesitant sadness cross over her face, he was right.  
"The way my father died is a tough subject for me to talk about, always has, always will be. A couple of weeks after his funeral, the school counselor redirected me to a psychologist here in Metropolis. I always felt like I was a patient at Arkham, they would ask me questions on how I felt if I was feeling suicidal. Everything and anything they could think of, they asked. It annoyed me to no end because they couldn't understand what I was going through." Jessica vented to a complete and total stranger but at the same time, she could not help but feel like she's known him from somewhere.  
She talks to Batman the same way she can with him, Jessica thought for a moment if they could be the same person, but she only laughed at herself. Please, a rich playboy like himself being the big bad Batman is ridiculous.  
"Look, I have a proposition for you." Bruce announced, catching Jessica's attention.  
"I'm listening."  
"Since our lunch was a total bust, I'd like to invite you to my home in Gotham for dinner.” Jessica raised her eyebrow. “Business-wise of course." Jessica sucked her bottom lip between her pearly white teeth in thought.   
This was a great opportunity for an article but then she had to think about the repercussions of it. What about her and the Batman? What were things between them anyway? Jessica felt dizzy at the number of times she is thought about the bat all day, maybe she should get to know people who she sees every day instead of only at night.  
"It's a date… if we could ever get out of this elevator."


	9. I Hate This Part

THE rest of Jessica’s lunch break was spent walking around Metropolis.   
She showed the billionaire the best spots she's been in love with since college, while also trying to run away from the paparazzi. “So, you mean to tell me that they have slices of pizza that are two feet long?” He asked with a raised brow.  
“Yup, in Yonkers Plaza.” She smiled, throwing away her napkin in the trash bin; also picking up the banana peel someone left near the garbage as well. “One of Metropolis’s many wonders.”   
Jessica, being the good-hearted American she was, kept on insisting to buy everything for both. She totally forgot he was Bruce Wayne. He shrugged her off, pulled out his wallet, and paid for every shop they stopped by.   
She couldn't help but feel special, in a way, but she remembered that he was a playboy. She could not afford to get her heartbroken. “You don’t get out to Metropolis often do you?” Jess asked.  
Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “Only for business, which isn’t often.” He looked at the billboards for a few seconds. “Besides, It’s too bright here.”  
“What are you, nocturnal?” Jess jokes with a giggle.   
Bruce felt his brain freeze for a second. “Well, I know someone who is.”  
She nodded her head in agreement. “I do too, it may seem weird to normal people but I'm not normal.” Bruce looked back up to see The Daily Planet was right up ahead. He grunted at having to end their little ‘date’ so soon. “This is me.”  
"Tonight at 8:30." Bruce smiled, it seemed like he enjoyed himself. Jessica smiled back, handed him her number and address, and left inside with an adjustment to her glasses. A habit she does when she's nervous. Bruce watched her walk through the doors with that same soft smile on his face.   
She made him feel so warm on the inside, he felt guilty. There were other women he’s been in serious relationships with that made him feel appreciated, but Jess made him feel loved. He had not felt that warm and cozy feeling since he was a little boy who still had his parents.   
He turned around, looking over his shoulder to see that beautiful black hair of hers, and towards his car that was parked right in front of the building.  
When Jessica reached the elevators, she saw maintenance had been working on it. “That thing really is a piece of junk.” She mumbled as Charles shook his head in agreement.   
“Who are you telling?” He grumbled. “It’s a never-ending battle with this junk elevator.”  
“Good luck.” Jess smiled. “I’ll be taking the stairs.”  
Charles snorted at her sentence. “No wonder why you're so fit.” Jessica sent him a playful glare before going through the door that led to the stairs.  
It was so quiet that when she stepped forward, the click of her hollow heels echoed off the walls. She made sure she was alone, with no cameras, she super sped all the way up to her floor. “Elevator’s out again.” Jess announced with a huff, pretending to be out of breath.  
“Dammit!” Chris growled in annoyance. “That’s just perfect.” While walking to her desk, Lois and Sheilah instantly grabbed Jessica, practically dragging her all the way to the bathroom. Clark watched the whole exchange with a raised eyebrow.   
He had been away from the office, in Gotham, researching the Bat and all the shady things he had been doing lately. He could not understand Jessica’s views on the Bat. It boggled his mind how she supported Batman when he played Judge, Jury, and Executioner with his enemies.   
“What’s that about?” Clark asked, his hand in his pocket while the other was holding him up on his office desk.   
Chris leaned out from his cubicle to look at Clark. “You didn’t hear? Jess went on a lunch date with Bruce Wayne.”  
Clark felt his eye twitch at the mere thought of his sister, his world, going out with a playboy. It upset him to his very core. Was she trying to get back at him for being in her business all the time? It just did not sound like his sister. “Seriously?”   
“I think she’s going on another one soon.” Chris shrugged. “It’s not my business and it shouldn’t be yours either.”   
Clark released an exasperated sigh at the whole situation before deciding to follow the girls, sneakily, to the bathroom.  
Now, in Jessica's current predicament, she does not know why she lets herself get pressured into telling her friends anything. She was shoved inside the stalls by her two friends, like teenagers. "The hell!" Jessica gasped, pushing both away as she tried to climb up onto the toilet to get away. Thank god they put the toilet lids on.   
Sheilah had a wide Cheshire-like grin on her face as she clapped her hands together. "Tell us everything!"  
"Not until we get out of this stall!"  
"No!" She shouted pointing her tiny baby finger at the raven-haired female. Jessica scrunched her nose at the two. "We're going to stay in here, talk about our feelings, and try to figure out your ship name!"  
"When people come in, they'll see us and think we're lesbians!" Jessica held her hands up. "I mean, it's not a bad thing. I'm Bi, so I’m all for the community, but still!"   
Sheilah snorted at that comment. "I am and I’m proud."   
Jessica ran a hand over her face at her best friends, she loved them, she would jump in front of a train for them, but sometimes; she wanted to throw them out a window.   
"Look, we only have two more hours before we go home. Then, I must go home, get ready, and pray I do not mess up this stupid date..." Jessica instantly cringed, she let those words slip from her mouth.   
Lois and Sheilah both looked at each other with their mouths halfway to the ground. "A DATE!" They screeched holding each other while they laughed.   
"Finally!" Lois clapped.   
Jessica felt herself groan; they will always hold that above her head. Jessica, the woman who could never get a date. She loved and hated both.  
"While you're out with Bruce Wayne, Lois and I are going to drink to celebrate. We're gonna tag along in secret to make sure nothing happens." Sheilah smirked crossing her arms, I can see the wheels turning in her head. "If he ever breaks your heart, his dick is gonna get cut THE FUCK OFF!" She exclaimed as Lois nodded her head in agreement. The two burst out of the stall leaving Jessica to wonder if it was too late to cancel.   
She was left in the stall just laughing to herself before she decided to follow her crazy girls. As soon as she walked out of the bathroom, she was met with Clark's stern face.   
"Clark!" She gasped while placing her hand over her heart. “You scared me.”  
When she noticed her brother was not replying, she raised a brow. She looked behind her to see if she walked out of the men's room. "What did I do now?" She asked with crossed arms.   
Clark followed her actions, he seemed really upset. "Are you going on a date with Bruce Wayne?" He asked sternly. “The same man who talked to you like you were a quick hookup?”  
Jessica rolled her eyes and moved past him. "Oh God Clark, I don't have time for this." She grumbled, her brother instantly running her good mood. “Unlike you, I see that people can change.”   
Clark grabbed her arm to stop her from going anywhere. "Jessica don’t make this complicated, ever since Zod you've been different.”  
"Here's with the Zod thing again." She grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "So, what Clark? What do you mean by different, hm?" She asked with a glare, snatching her arm out of his grasp.  
"You haven't been my sister!" He hissed quietly. “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”  
“That’s right, because you don’t.” Jess growled. “You’re still holding onto this image of a girl who died when her father did. I am a grown woman who can pick myself back up again when I fall. I’ve been doing it since you vanished after high school.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I'm sorry if killing someone changes things okay?" She mumbled. "I'm lonely... I'm tired of always seeing you so happy with Lois and I'm tired of being lonely and not having anyone to fall in love with." Jessica vented with her arms slapping to her sides.   
This caught Clark off guard. He never knew she felt that way, she always put up an 'I don't need anyone' charisma. "Jess I... -"  
"No, save it, I'm going on this date. I'm tired of living in Clark Kent's perfect shadow." With that, Jessica spun on her heel and away from her brother.   
It aggravated her so much that Clark thought he could just swoop in and become her father. She has not had a boyfriend since Oliver Queen because she wanted to take her time to work on her career. A career, may she add, that she never wanted.  
She wanted to be a scientist, but did she? No. She's sacrificed almost her entire life for her brother, now she wanted to be happy. Now that she had Bruce Wayne chasing after her, she decided to make the most out of it. She did not want his money or the fancy title of whatever she could be to him, she just wanted him and his company.

LATER that day, Sheilah was trying to detangle her comb from Jessica's hair.   
"Jesus fucking Christ!” She cursed. “I hate your stupid hair!" Sheilah whined with a sigh.  
Jessica rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault your brush sucks." She shrugged her shoulders with a smirk. Sheilah punched her in the shoulder and finally managed to detangle the comb from her hair.  
"Let's just go with a bun?" Sheilah smiled sarcastically and began to part her hair. "Remember if I hit you, that means you’re not doing what I say." Jessica rolled her eyes for the millionth time; god better pray for her himself.   
Lois watched the whole drama show in amusement. “This is why you’re not allowed to touch my hair.”  
“Nobody wanna touch your red Disney Princess hair anyway.” Sheilah snarled playfully.   
Jessica giggled lightly before sighing. “Do you guys think I’m different?” Lois and Sheilah made eye contact with each other with furrowed eyes.   
“What makes you say that?” Lois asked, sitting on her knees on the couch to make better eye contact with the girls behind her.  
“I don’t know, Clark had said something about how he doesn’t know me anymore.” Jess shrugged her shoulders slightly. “I guess he’s right, I haven’t been the same since… well you know.”  
Lois scrunched her red eyebrows in annoyance. She had already spoken to Clark about butting his nose into Jessica’s business, she supposed he was just as stubborn as she was. It was not her place to get involved, it wasn’t her place to, but it was starting to get ridiculous.   
Sheilah kept brushing Jessica’s long black hair while sucking in her bottom lip between her teeth. “Look,” She started. “Sure, you’ve changed. I am not going to deny it but that’s just life. You have been and seen some tough shit nobody should see and go through. So, if Clark can’t accept this new you, then that's on him.”  
“I guess.” Jess nodded before getting whacked over the head with a brush. “Hey!”  
“Don’t move!”  
After an hour had passed, Sheilah, finally, finished Jessica’s hair. Sheilah clapped her hands together in accomplishment. "Ah, let me admire my work." She sighed dreamily.  
"Six years of being my best friend and I can't get used to you saying that." Jess chuckled. Sheilah hit her arm with a smirk.   
Krypto started to paw at Jessica's leg. She picked up her puppy and walked to the kitchen, Sheilah and Lois tailing behind her. "If you want, I can watch him tonight." Lois volunteered.  
"No, it's okay, I mean he should be...-"  
"It wasn't a question." Sheilah cut her off.   
"You get nervous when you leave for work, imagine a date." Lois smirked.  
"Fine only for tonight." Jessica put Krypto down and poured his food into the container. The pup started to eat happily. Jessica stood up straight and mentally prepared herself to walk to get her purse when her ankle buckled. The girls only laughed.  
"Why are you forcing me to wear heels!" Jessica whined.   
Sheilah laughed to her heart's content. "Hot damn, that was too funny!"  
"God, I hate you sometimes." Jessica grumbled. She looked at her watch to find it was 6:30.   
Sheilah noticed the state Jessica was in and sighed. "Are you sure you don't want to show Clark?" She asked.  
"If Clark doesn't want me happy, then he doesn't have to know." Jessica mumbled while rummaging through her bag. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was giving her brother the silent treatment. At this point, he deserved it.   
Suddenly, there was a knock at Jessica's door. She carefully rushed to the door but Sheilah quickly stopped her.   
"Don't forget these!" Lois gasped, plopping the black-rimmed glasses onto Jessica's face. She was just a lifesaver that way.  
"You're the best!"  
"I know I am!"   
Krypto ran over, whining at the fact Jessica was leaving. Sheilah picked up the pup as Jessica placed a kiss onto his white furry head, her red lipstick staining in the form of a kiss mark. He quickly licked her face in goodbye, parting was such sweet sorrow.   
Opening the door, there stood an older male with glasses like hers. He bared a kind smile, he looked almost happy to see her. "Hello Madam Jessica, I am Alfred Pennyworth, I am here to escort you to Master Bruce's home in Gotham safely." He explained with his thick British accent. Jessica blinked in surprise, butler?  
"Damn, he got a butler too?" Sheilah mumbled into Jessica's side causing a small giggle to leave Lois’ mouth. Alfred held his arm out for Jessica to grab.  
She linked her arm with the butler and made her way to the car.  
"Have fun! If he does anything he's not supposed to, I'mma kill him!" Sheilah shouted with her hand waving back and forth, Krypto in her other arm.   
Jessica rolled her eyes, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She could be so embarrassing sometimes. She looked at Alfred, who had an amused look on his face.   
"I'm so sorry, she's overprotective."   
Alfred only chuckled, he seemed to be enjoying the situation. "It's quite alright, is she a sister?"  
"Heh, don't I wish." Jessica snorted and entered the car that Alfred was holding open for her.   
When he closed the door, Jessica started to feel her heart beating faster than she would have liked.   
Sure, the man she was going on a date with was supposed to be highly professional, but he didn't make it seem that way. What was the deal with rich men having infatuations with a small-town nobody from Smallville? "Are you ready to go Madam?"   
"As ready as I'll ever be."


	10. I Got Away With You

AN hour had passed when Jessica and Alfred made it into the city of Gotham.   
She started to feel her heart race even faster than before. The last time she was in Gotham, she almost got put into a sex trafficking ring and had a cheesy, erotic, make out session with Gotham’s notorious Batman.   
The world could just swallow her whole if the Bat found out. That would be so bad, he would not want to see her anymore after that. Why did she put herself into these situations?  
Alfred noticed Jessica's tense state and gave a slight chuckle. "There is nothing to be worried about madam, I assure you, Master Bruce is nothing short of a gentleman."  
"You seem to be really close to him."  
"Of course, after his parents passed, I raised him as my own." Alfred smiled; he was practically his father. Jessica smiled at that, at least he was not alone. "Now, tell me something about yourself, madam."   
Jessica shifted in her seat; she wasn't expecting that question. "I'm from Smallville, Kansas. My brother and I were actually adopted when the meteor shower happened in 86." She explained. “My life is pretty standard. I hope that isn’t too boring.”  
Alfred pulled up to the manner, exited the car, and opened the door for her. “Quite the contrary.” He chuckled. "I do hope you enjoy pasta," Alfred smiled, helping her out of the car. "Master Bruce specifically requested it for tonight's plans."  
Jessica smoothed out her pantsuit while looking at the glass filled mansion. A certain fear started to creep up on her, the old 'you break it, you buy it' rule. Jared's jewelry store was hitting her all over again.   
Of course, this was not Jessica's first ball game, she remembered the nervousness in her stomach when Oliver took her out on her first date in college.   
Although their relationship was not meant to be and she set up Oliver with her best friend, Chloe Sullivan, she couldn't help but feel those same butterflies in her stomach but ten times worse. And she has no idea why.  
Alfred led her to the steps of the mansion and there stood Bruce in a nice black button-up shirt, black slacks, and polished dress shoes. It made Jessica's heart flutter, the same heart flutter that she gets when Batman is around. Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, it was just her and Bruce.  
The peppered haired man led Jessica into the dining room, not before complimenting her of course. "So, tell me about yourself." Bruce asked, looping his fingers together. "If you want to, that is."   
Jessica chuckled, looking down at her plate of food. "Well, as I said to you before, I'm from Smallville, Kansas nothing in my life really happened until my brother and I were about sixteen." She placed her napkin on the table.   
“Hobbies?”  
“Well, I’ve been reading sappy romance books since I was thirteen.” Jessica replied. “I also bake like no one's business. Cookies, bread, pie, the classics. I ice skate, it’s been a really long time so I’m probably really bad.” She laughed gently, making a deep chuckle escape Bruce’s chest. She paused for a second before a gentle smile spread across her face. “I love to look at the stars, going to museums, and planetariums. Point to a star in the sky and I can show you what constellation it belongs to.”   
As Jessica continued to talk about her love of Astronomy, Bruce drank in every word she spoke like the finest wine. It was making the wheels turn in his head about what he could do for her at that very moment. “It seems you love science.” Bruce smiled.  
Jessica looked at him with wide eyes. “I’m boring you, aren’t I?” She mumbled in shame.  
“What? No, of course not.” He dismissed with his brows arched high. “I’m just stumped on how you ended up as a reporter.”  
“Life, I suppose.”  
Bruce took a sip of his wine. “Your degree says otherwise.” Jessica furrowed her brows, eyes darting over to his relaxed form on high alert.  
“You looked me up?”  
Bruce shook his head no rather quickly. “No, no, I didn’t. Alfred did.” He rubbed the back of his neck in a bit of embarrassment. “He’s rather, eh, protective.”   
Jessica exhaled lightly. “I know the feeling.” She mumbled. “I mean, about my degree, I love science. Astronomy and all that stuff but I guess journalism is just the path I chose to follow.”  
“But why?” Bruce further pressed on.   
“Saying I'm bad at my job?” She teased while taking a sip of her water.  
“You’re an amazing journalist, don’t get me wrong, it’s just you seem…-”  
“Disconnected.”  
“Yes.”   
Jessica pursed her lips in thought for a second. “I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t really know.” She shrugged. “I guess I joined the writing world because it was convenient for me. I needed the money and they needed reporters. Life is unexpected, you can’t do anything but just roll with the punches.”  
“I’ll drink that.” Bruce huffed while Jessica could not help but giggle at his attempt at a joke. “You had said something about your life when you were sixteen, what did you mean?”  
“I thought I was supposed to be giving the interview here, Mr. Wayne.”  
“I like to know the beautiful woman sitting beside me.” He smirked, his charm reaching Jessica’s cheeks. It was a stupid thing to blush about but there was a playful tone that reminded her of someone. She just could not think about it now.  
She sucked in a deep breath before having the guts to speak about her past. “Well, my family and I were driving back from one of the town's functions, a little family outing that we do every year. My brother and father got caught up in an argument and we did not notice the change in the weather. Then suddenly, all of the cars on the freeway just stopped because Kansas has a record of random tornados.”

THE whole Kent family was driving back home from the annual corn convention in town along with running some errands for the house and farm.   
Clark had run into the football team and they tried to get him to convince his parents to join the team again. "I'm just trying to be a normal kid dad! I mean, Jessica wanted to join the cheer squad." Jessica buried her face in her jacket. Why did her brother always have a knack for dragging her into arguments like this? "Why can't you just trust us to be normal?"  
"Your mother and I just want you both to be safe." Jonathan sighed while Jessica and Martha opted to just stay out of the conversation.   
"I'm tired of being safe, I just wanna do something useful with my life!"  
"So, farming, feeding people. That's not... that's not useful?" Jonathan asked, looking at his son for a moment then back to the road.  
"I didn't say that." Clark defended.  
"Our family's been farming for five generations...-"  
Clark rolled his eyes, tired of hearing that story. "Your family, not mine." The teen scoffed. "I don't even know why I'm listening to you, you're not my dad! You're just some guy who found me in a field." He snapped, causing both Jessica and Martha to glare at the teenager.   
"Clark!" They growled in unison. Jonathan felt the pang of hurt flood his chest but knew his son did not mean it, just blind anger.   
"It's all right, Martha. He's right, Clark has a point. We are not your parents, but we've been doing the best we can. And we've been making this up as we go along, so maybe... maybe our best isn't good enough anymore." Jonathan explained as calmly as he could. Jessica noticed the change in weather, from the nice light blue cloudy sky to dirty grey. Seems like Jonathan caught on to it too.  
"Look, Dad...-" Clark was cut off by Jonathan.  
"Hold on..." Jonathan opened the door to the car, Clark, Jessica, and Martha following close behind.   
In the distance, a giant swarm of grey clouds, dust, leaves, and anything else was sucked into the dangerous vortex of destruction.   
"Dad?" Jessica asked in a panic, her father, being the man of self-sacrifice that he was, took charge of the situation.  
"Go for the overpass..." In hesitation, Jessica stayed in place by her father's side. Too stubborn to leave, too convinced she could save them all without everyone knowing it was her. When Jonathan noticed she was not moving, he said it with more of a sternness. "Go for the overpass! Take cover!" Clark grabbed Jessica's arm and began to drag her to the overpass.   
When they made it halfway, Jonathan caught up with the two, a little girl in his arms. "Over there, just follow them." He told the mother, putting the girl into Clark's arms.   
"Hank's still in the car!" Martha shouted; her heart racing as fast as it possibly could. "Hank's in the car!" Jessica placed her hand on her father's arm.  
"I'll get him, I'll get him!"  
"No, no, get your mom to the overpass!" Jonathan shouted over the loud bustling wind of the tornado quickly gaining on them.   
"Dad!" Jessica shouted after him.  
"Go!" He shouted, running to the family car and tried to convince the dog to leave from its hiding spot in the car. “Come on Hank!” He encouraged the poor mutt crowding in between the space of the seat and the foot space of the car.   
Jessica noticed a car fly directly on top of the car with Jonathan inside. “Dad!” Clark held back his mother and Jessica to make sure they did not run off after him.  
"Jonathan!" Martha screamed.  
"Mom, it's okay!"  
"Dad!" Jessica shouted again. Ready to go save her father from the storm.  
"Jess, stay here!" Clark shouted, holding his mother up instead of his sister.   
Hank had successfully made it to the overpass, but Jonathan seemed to be having a harder time. Jessica noticed the way he limped a couple of feet but rested on the car, the pain was too great for him.   
Jonathan knew he had run out of time. Jessica looked at Clark then back to her father, she took one step forward, ready to expose herself to save her father, her best friend. She halted when Jonathan did one simple hand motion, with no sign of fear, hate, or embarrassment, just a look Jessica to this day will never understand.   
Jonathan held his hand up to stop her from using her abilities to save him, he did not want to, but if this is what it takes to keep their secret hidden. Then so be it.   
Jessica felt her eyes gloss over with big tears threatening to take over and in one fatal swoosh, he was gone. "Dad!" Clark screamed in agony as Martha collapsed into Jessica's arms in denial. 

"IT was a hard day... something that wasn't supposed to happen, but it did." Jessica mumbled, messing with her ring.   
She wiped her eyes free of tears. "I'm sorry." She apologized with a chuckle. She opted on telling Bruce only the part where her father died, the argument, and that was it.   
If this relationship worked out, then she would tell him the full story, someday. She hid her feelings behind a barrier of a smile, something Bruce saw straight through.  
He grabbed her hand in his tightly, it radiated support and understanding. Jessica looked at Bruce in surprise, she was not expecting him to just grab her hands like that.   
"I know your pain; I understand it full-heartedly and I want you to know that you're strong. Stronger than me that's for sure." Jessica felt a single tear slip down her cheek as she smiled, he understood her. "Never be afraid to cry." He may not understand all of her, but the grief part is something she can live with. He wiped away that tear that slipped down to her chin with tenderness like her father. “There’s a place I would like to take you. Only if you’re up to it.”  
Jessica raised an eyebrow, her eyes still a little watery. “Where to?”

BRUCE pulled up to a large white building with a dome that sat atop proudly in the clear sky.  
It was far from the city, about twenty minutes past the mansion. A hidden gem that Bruce had bought long ago. “Where are we?” Jess asked curiously, blue eyes taking in her surroundings.  
Bruce brought out a key from his pocket with a child-like smile on his face. “You said you loved the stars, I thought I would bring it to you.”   
Jessica’s eyes lit up at the realization of where they were at. “Is this…”   
Bruce opened the door, letting Jessica go inside first. He turned on the lights to reveal sections of exhibits that revealed things about the stars and the planets. Right in front of her was a giant set of velvet double doors.   
“It is!” She squealed in excitement like a kid on Christmas day. She clapped her hands together and jumped into Bruce’s arms before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry,” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear with a timid smile. “I shouldn’t have…-”  
“Don’t apologize for being excited.” Bruce interrupted with a smirk. “Besides, it’s nice to see you be yourself.”  
Jessica gave a soft giggle before spinning on her heel. “Come on, let's check out the exhibits!”   
The two walked through the exhibits, Bruce listening intensely to whatever facts Jessica was saying about Saturn’s rings or how Astronaut food worked.  
“If you had powers, what would be one thing you could do?” Bruce asked out of the blue. He wanted to slap himself from seeing her reaction.  
“I would want to fly to see if I could touch the stars.” Jessica answered, even though she could fly. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. To reach the impossible.”   
Bruce felt his heartthrob at the sight of her smile. It was so addicting to make her smile. He would do anything to preserve the sight in his mind forever, even if it meant listening to her ramble about how blue stars are the hotels and can be as hot as 200,000,000° Fahrenheit. If it meant for her to smile, it would be enough.  
“I think I can help you with that.” Bruce grabbed her hand again, motioning for her to follow him through the double doors. “It’s going to be dark, so stay close until I get the lights on.” Jessica nodded her head in agreement, grabbing his upper arm, that was probably the size of her head, and followed him through the dark. The only thing illuminating their path was the flashlight on Bruce’s phone. “Stay right,” He positioned Jess right in front of him. “Here. Don’t move.”  
Jessica nodded her head eagerly, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. Bruce left her standing there for a minute or two when the ceiling lit up with hundreds of stars. Her hands slowly raised to her mouth covering them to express her awe.   
Bruce was behind her in seconds with his chocolate brown orbs looking up at the ceiling as well. “Like it?”  
“Like it? I love it.” She breathed out.  
“Wednesday, activate H.A.I.P.” Bruce instructed as a machine behind them began to activate.   
Jessica looked up at Bruce for a second. “What’s H.A.I.P.?”   
“Holographic Aerospace Interactive Projector. It works by copying the stars and planets shown in its area of the sky, copies it, and allows you to bring the image close to you.” Bruce explained. “Let me show you.” He grabbed her hand, cupping it in his large one and brought it up to the ceiling.   
Their hands were engulfed in a blue sheen for a second before they brought their hands down to show a holographic image of a star in her hand. “Oh my god…” Jessica mumbled; eyes filled with curiosity.   
“You said you wanted to hold a star,” He spoke slowly. “To reach the impossible but with you; I don’t think anything is impossible.”  
Jessica turned her body around, still holding the star in her hands, to look him in the eyes. She wanted to say something romantic, like in those books she reads, but could not find the words. The only thing that came out of her mouth was, “It’s warm”.   
Bruce chuckled at her response. “Wednesday, lower projection to ground level.” It did just that, lowering the stars and planets as it engulfed the two in a world full of new possibilities. Jessica gently tapped her finger against one of the stars with a smile.  
It floated away, bonking against a couple other stars. “This is incredible.” She laughed. “I wish I had this as a kid.” She turned her blue eye gaze towards Bruce and could not help but land a gentle kiss upon his lips.  
That is when Bruce cautiously lowered his lips back down to hers and kissed her under the starry holographic planetarium. In that moment, she almost forgot about everything, her brother, her double identity, Batman, everything.   
Almost.


	11. Evil Angel

“ANYWHERE, in particular ma’am?” Senator Finch’s driver asked as she entered the car.  
“Luthor Mansion.” She replied kindly, placing her purse right beside her.  
“Right away.” Finch looked out the window of her car with furrowed brows. She had been thinking, more than usual, about Lex Luthor’s proposal. The weapon against the super twins. It seemed a little inhumane but that was a human’s job, to make sure we take our considered enemies out the most effective way.  
She would have said yes but something in her gut was telling her no. It could have been the way he proposed it or how he wanted to, secretly, use it against the twins on his own account. Finch let herself dive right back into the memory of the meeting.

FINCH dreaded coming to speak with a rich man about homeland security.   
It was always a pointless attempt to give them more power than they already had. She prepared herself to listen to whatever Lex had to say before she got annoyed and would decide to cut things short.   
Mercy Graves, a tall Asian woman, approached a basketball court at the LexCorp lobby to announce that Finch and Barrows had arrived. Lex Luthor, the young, long-haired CEO of the company, scores a three pointer, and spun around to find Mercy and the senators.  
With excitement, Lex holds his hand out for them to shake. “Ooh. Ah. Ahoy, Ahoy! I did not know you were here.” He approached Barrows, who extended his hand. They exchanged hellos amongst each other before Lex motioned for them to follow him. “My father named the company after himself. He was the Lex in front of the Corp.”  
A security door opened, as Lex guides his visitors into the corridor. “You know, Dad was born in east Germany. He grew up eating uh... stale crackers. And every other Saturday, he had to march in a parade and wave flowers at tyrants. So, I think it was providence that his son, me, would end up with this.” They enter a lab as Finch focused on a glovebox with a metallic claw holding a small green rock. “One of my rebuilt Metropolis crews found it. A little souvenir from the Kryptonian World Engine.”  
Finch continued to stare at the green rock, while Lex leaned over the glovebox. The wheels were turning in her head, she did not like where this meeting was starting to go now. “What's a rock have to do with Homeland Security?”  
Lex darted his eyes towards her. “Homeland Security? Mmm. No, no, no... ma'am.” He held his finger up to emphasize the correction. “Planetary Security.”  
One scientist, Emmet, is heard explaining. “The fragment is of a radioactive xenomineral. We suspected it might have bio-interactions, so we took the sample to AMRIID…” He pressed a button on a nearby keyboard as the monitor changed to a video of General Zod’s corpse being removed from its body bag, courtesy of LexCorp. “Where they keep the remains of the Kryptonian decedent.” Footage of a dentist drill-like device with the Kryptonite being used to slice Zod’s torso clean open.  
Finch is forced to turn her back to see the monitor behind her, footage of black cells splitting up, getting a green glow and dissolving. “By God.” She whispered to herself.  
“Profound biodegradation, decaying Kryptonian cells.” Lex started walking away from the glovebox. “We concluded the mineral could be weaponized if a large enough sample were found. And then, among the fishes, a whale,” The monitor showed the green rock, only three times bigger than the one in the glovebox. “Lying at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Beautiful.” He smiled almost twistedly. “Now, Rocky is radioactive, but what he needs from you is an import license.”  
“And why would we want to weaponize this material?” Finch questioned with her arms crossed.  
“As a deterrent.” Lex shrugged. “A silver bullet to keep in reserve to use against the Kryptonian. So, the day does not come, madam, when your children are waving daisies at a reviewing stand.”  
Barrows pointed his finger to the twins, blurred on the screen. “Last I looked, the only one of those flying around up here was the twins.”  
“Ha-ha, yes, the super twins.” His smile contorted into a distasteful frown at the thought of the twins. “Yeah, but there are... there are more of them.”  
“The meta-human thesis.” Finch said.  
“Yes, the meta-human thesis. More likely than not. These exceptional beings live among us. The bases of our myths. Gods among men upon our little blue planet here.” Lex hit a small blue and green stress ball on top of the glovebox, the loud sound echoing around them. “You don't have to use the silver bullet. But if you forge one... Well, then. We don't have to depend upon the kindness of monsters.”

FINCH sucked in a deep breath just as the driver pulled up to the old Luthor mansion.   
She thanked him, per usual, and met Mercy in the font of the house. From there she was led inside Lex Luthor’s living room. Mercy knocked on the doors and opened the doors to allow the Senator inside. Lex turned his attention to Finch who was awkwardly standing by the door.   
“Senator!” He greeted with a smile, shaking her hand. “My dad always said that Kentucky mash was the secret to health.” He motioned around the room. “This was his room. I left it just the way it was.” He handed her a strong drink as he held him in his hands. She accepted just to be courteous. “That's silly, I know, the magical thinking of orphan boys.”  
Finch glanced down at her cup before confidently speaking. “I'm blocking the import license for your mineral.”  
Lex stared silently at his cup for a while before approaching the senator. His frown twisted into a deceitful smirk as he began to speak. “The Red Capes are coming! The Red Capes are coming!” He walked back over to the desk in the room before leaning on it. “  
You and your hearings…” He began to rap his fingers on the sides of the oak desk to mimic a horse’s hooves. “galloping through the streets to warn us. One, if by land. Two, if by air.”   
Finch stared at Lex with danger lurking in the pit of her stomach. From the news alone he seems unstable. The drumming of his thumbs seemed to escalate things even further, making Finch’s flight or fight senses kick in. She grabbed his hand, stopping the drumming.   
“Mmm…” He hummed uncomfortably. He did not appreciate being yanked out of his dark thoughts. “Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator?” He asked quietly before looking up. “Can I call you June?”  
“You can call me whatever you like. Take a bucket of piss and call it Granny's Peach Tea. Take a weapon of assassination and call it deterrence. You will not fool a fly or me. I'm not going to drink it.” She answered back roughly, her stern voice making Lex flinch ever so slightly.   
He swallowed thickly, scraping his nail alongside the contours of the desk before smirking devilishly. “You don't think dad would mind, do you? If I change just... just one thing in this room?” He asked, motioning his head around the room.   
Finch took in her surroundings for the first time. The room was dark, with mahogany colors and leather couches. It smelled of bourbon and fireside. The only light entering the room was from the fireplace since there were no windows.  
Lex turned around to point his finger at a painting featuring angels at the top, weapons ready to battle the demons down below. It was a dark, yet beautiful, depiction of the book of Revelation. It was to symbolize the final battle between good and evil. Lex saw it all true, except for one fact. “Because that should be upside down. Now, we know better now, don't we?” He smirked. “The devils don't come from hell beneath us. No, no, they come from the sky.”

BRUCE rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He had not made a dent and still had a couple more files left to go.  
He scrolled a couple more times until he eventually found pictures and locations of a ship, harbored right in Gotham. After doing some research, he concluded that what he has been looking for wasn’t even human to begin with.  
He checks around the cave to find Alfred fiddling with the Boatmobile’s engine. “The white Portuguese is not a man.” He spoke, crossing his arms while leaning against one of the worktables. “It's a ship.”  
Alfred waited for Bruce to continue before furrowing his brows. “Master Wayne, since the age of seven, you have been to the art of deception as Mozart to the harpsichord. But you have never been too hot of lying to me. The White Portuguese is not carrying a dirty bomb. What is it carrying?”  
Bruce took in a deep breath before moving closer to Alfred. “It's a weapon. It is a rock, a mineral, capable of weakening Kryptonian cells. The first sample was big enough to mean something, turned up in the Indian Ocean three months ago. It is now aboard the White Portuguese being delivered to Lex Luthor.” He paused for a second. “Who I am going to steal it from.  
“To keep it out of Luthor's hands?” Alfred asked with his arms crossed. “To destroy it.” When Bruce’s face remained unchanged, Alfred knew it was a different intention.  
“No.” Bruce responded.  
Alfred took a step closer with his eyes narrowed in confusion. “You're going to go to war?”  
“Those sons of a bitches brought the war to us, two years ago.” Bruce growled angrily. “Jesus, Alfred, count the dead, thousands of people. What's next? Millions?” He asked with his eyebrows scrunched down. “They have the power to wipe out the entire human race and if we believe there is even a 1% chance that they are our enemy, we have to take it as an absolute certainty. And we have to destroy them.”  
“But they are not our enemy!” Alfred argued as best he could. He needed to snap the man he calls son out of this angry rage towards the twins before it was too late. He knows Bruce has made bad calls before, he knows his son was not always like this. It happened with Joker after Jason was killed. 

Bruce only shook his head, not bothering to listen to Alfred’s reasoning. “Not today.” He gave a small smirk. “20 years in Gotham, Alfred. We've seen what promises are worth. How many good guys are left? How many stayed that way?”   
Alfred looked down at the floor for a second, looping his fingers behind his back. “Is Madam Kent going to agree with Batman’s agreement?”   
Bruce froze at his words. “I’m doing this for her and the rest of the world.” He insisted over his shoulder. “She’s already lost her father; I don’t want her to lose more people who are close to her because they decide to make a wrong choice.”  
Alfred pursed his lips. “So, you think she is unable to make her own decisions?”  
“That isn’t what I’m saying.”  
“If you decide to go through with this plan, what makes you think she won’t resent you?” The butler adjusted the glasses on his face. “She is rather close to the twins, especially Superman.”  
Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “She’ll still have Bruce Wayne.”  
“And what happens when she finds out that Bruce Wayne is really the Batman? The man who killed her friends because of a wrong choice.”   
“She won’t.” Bruce growled out as he began to inspect the Batmobile.  
“Master Wayne, in my short time of meeting Madam Kent, there is one thing she is not and that is stupid.” He scolded with his eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t underestimate what she could do, especially when she is a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter.” Bruce stopped whatever tinkering he was doing on the Batmobile at his words.   
“Madam Kent is highly intelligent, as you already know with your prior research of her. Do not assume that she’s close to the twins for no reason. There’s a reason for everything and that is because she chooses to see the good in them, just like in Batman and in Bruce Wayne.” Alfred crossed his arms. “Who are you truly doing this for? Her or for you?”  
Bruce grits his teeth before tossing the wrench on the worktable angrily. The tools bounced off each other with multiple loud clunks before he walked past Alfred.


	12. Everything

THE next morning, Jessica awoke with a smile on her face. She hadn’t felt giddy in a long time.   
When Lois and Sheilah came over to talk about the date, her smile was contagious. “Wow Jess, I love this smile.” Lois giggled. “It’s nice to see you so happy.” Sheilah sipped on her coffee in agreement with what Lois said.  
“He was sweet and respected my boundaries… to an extent.” Jessica answered while leaning her head on the palm of her hand.   
Sheilah raised a brow. “Clarify.”  
“He pushed me to open about my feelings.” Jess said. “The weird part about the whole thing was that I was comfortable with telling him.”  
“He could relate to what you were feeling. He lost his parents when he was eight.” Lois stated with her hand resting on her wool-covered shoulder. “You two have things in common, you just have to look for it.”  
Jess poked out her lips with a hum. “He reminded me of someone last night.”   
“Who?” Sheilah asked.  
“Batman.” Jess replied. “He understands me like Batman does. I mean, he took me to a planetarium last night. Then, I said I wish I could hold a star in my hands, and he whipped out this machine his company’s science department made, and I actually got to hold one.” Jessica ran a hand through her combed hair with a dreamy sigh. “I should have slept with him.”  
“Maybe you should sleep with both.” Sheilah snorted with a smirk. “It’ll be like fantasy suite week on the Bachelorette.” Lois threw one of the couch's decorative pillows at her.  
“Don’t listen to her, all I can tell you is following your heart.” Lois sighed. “But this thing with Batman may be fun now but what happens if feelings start to really blossom? He’s not going to be the ideal guy you’re looking for.”  
Jessica sighed at Lois’ words. It was true, Jessica could not always think with her heart and that was Lois’ way of telling her that it was time to use her brain. Batman can’t be there like Bruce Wayne.  
Batman isn’t Bruce Wayne. 

LATER that evening, Jessica opted for just staying at home. She asked if he could come over to chat, but he was busy.   
Jessica looked over to her balcony right beside her, causing her to chuckle to herself. Maybe if she were to leave the doors open, she'd see Batman. She snorted at her attempt to joke to herself, opening her balcony doors, she rubbed her eyes under her glasses tiredly.   
As if he knew she was expecting him, Jessica turned around to see the giant black mass standing in the middle of her balcony.  
"What are you doing here?" She asked with a tilt of her head. “Don’t you have a city to protect?”   
“It’s been a while, I wanted to see if things were alright.” He answered gruffly, his voice modifier acting up again. Alfred would have to try and fix it yet again.   
Jessica rubbed her arm; she was suddenly nervous again. "Happy to report everything is fine." She replied, rummaging through her nightstand, pretending she was looking for something to ease the butterflies in her stomach. She knew he would see through her crap act; he was known as the world's greatest detective for a reason.   
Jessica randomly pulled out her hairbrush and began to pull out the many tight braids Sheilah had bestowed upon her poor scalp earlier that morning. “Wait,” she faced the bat. “You’re checking up on me?”  
“You weren’t calling like you normally do.” He explained gruffly. “Your friend was leaving your apartment and told me you had gone on a date, but she told me not to tell you any of that.”  
“Thanks for scaring my friend.” Jessica said sarcastically as she went back to brushing her hair. Batman just stood in silence and watched her hair fall in crimped waves delicately down her back. All he wanted to do was run his fingers through it.  
"How… did it go?" He asked, causing Jess to look behind her.   
“Well, if you must know everything, it went nicely. He didn’t have to make up an excuse every time he wanted to visit me.” She shrugged her shoulders, looking in the mirror and decided to just leave it the way it was.   
Batman grunted his response with a roll of his eyes. If there was one thing that he could not stand, it was how sarcastic she could be. It drove him so far up the walls, it sent him to a spiral of unbridled lust. In a way, it made her personality that much more entertaining.  
She placed her hairbrush down onto the night table beside her, the wooden brush making a soft clunk as she did so. She plopped her behind on the bed. "If you're just going to stand there and watch me all night, might as well come in." She asserted, looking back at him with her hair framing her face.   
Bruce stayed unmoved from the balcony, he could not and would not go in. He was forcing himself to stay put, no matter how badly he wanted to be close to her again. Dinner with her was amazing, thank god she said yes to another date. "Fine, I guess I'll just go to you then." She grumbled, walking closer to the bat, turning off her light in the process.   
He swallowed thickly in sudden nervousness; he could see the cleavage from her off-the-shoulder shirt. "Is everything alright?" She asked in confusion, she could hear the rapid beating of his heartbeat.   
Was he going to faint? Heart attack? How in the hell would she call that in? 'Hey, I think the Batman just had a heart attack on my balcony. Please send help!'   
She heard him clear his throat. "Is your self-defense mechanism sarcasm?" He asked, this time more forcefully. “Or are you hiding something?” Jessica kept her eyes on his dark ones, she had the same magnetic pull to him just like Bruce.  
That was until she heard his question. “That’s rude.”  
“It’s a question.”  
“A rude one.”  
“Not my fault you can’t handle my blunt personality.” He snorted.  
“Not my fault you can’t express what your true intentions are.” Jess growled with her arms crossed.  
Bruce rolled his eyes. “There is no intention. I am here to check up on you. Now that I‘ve done that, bye.” Before he could leave, Jessica grabbed his shoulder.  
“Is it your job to just frustrate me the way you do?” She asked. “Cause it’s getting really old.”   
“If you think it’s so frustrating, I won’t come back.” He growled, poking her chest with his finger.  
Jess smacked his hand away with her blue eyes narrowed. “I’m calling your bluff, especially after what happened on that rooftop.”  
“Because you were so incapable of not looking where you were going, I had to save you.”  
“So what?” She asked with her hands on her hips. “Do you want a thank you? Another make-out session in the rain?”  
“I bet Bruce Wayne doesn’t have to ask for that last one.” Jessica’s eyes widened before she slapped the Bat across the face. She hit him with just enough force that it cocked his head to the right.   
Bruce blinked in surprise, he let that last sentence slip from his mouth. Thoughts were spinning around his head at 100 miles per hour.  
Like a brute, he flipped his switch into full Batman mode again and shadowed over Jessica’s frame like so many times before. They both glared and huffed at each other before Bruce grabbed her upper arms in his gloved hands and pulled her flush against him, their lips crashing over each other.  
Without a second thought, Jessica brought her arms around his covered neck as his tongue darted past her lips. He pulled her legs up and around his waist, holding her up against the door that led into her bedroom.  
Jessica just wanted to feel him pressed up against her everywhere. Then her head started to trail over to the billionaire man she had her date with last night, that could be real. This, whatever it was, could not. She was going to push him away and tell him that she could not do it.  
But when she felt his tongue drag up her jugular with his hands sliding up her shirt. There was absolutely no way out of a passionate sexual escapade tonight.  
But while in their heated sexual haze, Clark was flying to his sister’s apartment. He replayed the speech he rehearsed to himself about how he was sorry on how things were between them now. Until he saw it, from a distance.   
He quickly darted behind another apartment building. He tried to rub his eyes, to get rid of his sister in such a state. Thankfully, it was so fast, he did not see much. It was a quick glimpse, but it still made him want to claw his eyes out.  
Clark clenched his fists at the sight of a dark mass, with two pointy ears on the top of his head. He knew his sister had a professional attachment to the Bat, but Clark never knew he knew where she lived. He clenched his jaw before quietly flying off in any other direction that was not her apartment.

AROUND three in the morning, Bruce looked out the balcony with a deep sigh. What did he get himself into?  
Jessica’s head was resting on his scarred chest in a deep sleep. She felt so safe in his arms and could not help but fall asleep. Bruce brushed his finger over a stray strand of hair that fell over her face. He looked over to her side table to grab her watch.   
Carefully reaching to grab it, he tried not to shuffle too much. His mask was off, so he did not want her to see his face. Too much explaining for one night.

1:30 a.m.

He groaned lightly; he did not want to leave. He was not even supposed to have stayed so long anyway. He was just frustrated with Alfred’s words of advice and could not help but go see her. Bruce huffed at his predicament before freezing when he felt her snuggle further into his chest.   
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, watching her pink lips twitch into a small smile. Bruce made sure to carefully remove and re-dress himself as quietly as he could. He prayed Jessica did not see his face at all during their sexual escapade that happened no more than a couple of hours ago.   
Something in Bruce was jealous, even though she was seeing the same person, he only got to see Jessica, as his true self, one day out of the whole week.   
Before he put his mask back on, he stared at it for a few seconds. He knew he should have stopped while he was ahead of himself, but there was a part of him that could not stop while visiting her as Batman.  
He told himself it was because she was safer in Metropolis and didn’t have to continuously worry about her safety. He has been leading her on the entire time he’s been visiting her, he supposed she was finally tired of him not making the first move.   
No wonder why he’s so attracted to her, her independence is so hot. In the beginning, he could tell she was trying to stop herself before it escalated.   
He needed to make up his mind on who he wanted to show her. He cannot keep stringing her along as Alfred said. She was only going to get her heartbroken, in the end, by both Bruce and Batman.  
With a final note and a gentle caress to her cheek, he left the same way he came. To his surprise, he still had time to make a special delivery by the doc. Taking the Bat jet back to Gotham, he made perfect time when he traded his jet for the batmobile.

2:30 a.m.  
Right on time.   
Bruce waited in the batmobile for them to load the Kryptonite into the large transport truck. To pass the time, he zoned out to just a couple of hours ago.   
He usually did not think of one-nighters the day after, but he could not help himself. He could not even say one-nighter with Jessica, it just felt wrong. It did not feel right rolling off his tongue.   
He briefly remembered the way she caressed the scars he has gotten over the years, how she lovingly kissed them, and looked away when his face illuminated in the moonlight.   
She had so much respect for him to not look at his identity. The way he would take her breath away by just a simple thrust of his hips, the way the bed squeaked. Good lord was she something else.  
"Master Wayne?" Alfred's voice rang through his earpiece, knocking Bruce out of his wet thoughts.  
"Yes, Alfred?" He asked, clearing his throat for what seems the millionth time that night.   
Alfred caught onto it, smirking knowingly behind the computer but acted like he did not know. He was just a silly old butler.   
He fought against teasing him until Bruce got home later that night. "The men appear on the move, this seems like the best time to make your move, sire." Alfred commented, beginning to look at the map to see where they were heading thanks to the Bat-tracker.   
Aboard the White Portuguese, Anatoli Knyazev and his men take a crate out of the ship. Atop a nearby crane, Batman is standing on top of it with a rifle. The crate is loaded onto a LexCorp truck, as Bruce watched from the rifle scope. “Move out!” Anatoli barked.  
After he closed the back door, Bruce fired a homing beacon onto it. It was a little green device surrounded by clear glue. The thugs who had just closed the door ran towards their vehicles to escort the truck.   
Just as they leave the port, one of the thugs on the backseat of a car noticed the Batmobile is waiting outside. “Go, go, go, go!”  
The thugs grab weapons, one grabbing a machine gun, they fire it into the Batmobile’s direction once his car starts moving. Bruce crashed into a car, hurling it into a portable trailer.   
He then fires his harpoon launcher at the car, dragging it behind him and slamming it into walls and barriers.   
After chasing down the enemy vehicle who keeps on firing, he detached the harpoon and let the crushed car crash onto the other. While the Batmobile is catching up to the convoy, another car fires at the Batmobile with a gatling gun.   
Unfazed, Bruce fired his own guns back, destroying the car. The truck itself opens, revealing Anatoli with a rocket launcher. The Batmobile continues to chase after the convoy until it takes a turn after seeing an incoming tanker truck – which the car in front of him does not- crashing and causing a massive explosion.   
The Batmobile maneuvers its way around warehouses and lands on top of the convoy, crashing through the roof, nearly missing Anatoli. Nevertheless, Bruce continues his chase after the convoy, deploying flares to ward off homing missiles.   
Suddenly, as Bruce turned a sharp corner, he crossed paths with Superman. They both glare at one another, disdain in each of their eyes. Bruce did not have enough time to turn the car, so, he opted on just ramming the car into the alien instead.  
Proving that the 'running the man of steel over' strategy did not work out so well, the car merely bounced off Superman like a bumper car. The Batmobile collided with Superman and crashed into a nearby gas container. It exploded, causing a chain reaction among the other containers to burst into flames as well.   
Clark remained steady, and tore the roof off the vehicle, with his impeccable strength, and tossed them to the side effortlessly. He was ready to confront the vigilante directly as Bruce stood up in defiance. He kept his hands clenched to his side.   
They both stared intensely at each other. As though they thought, if they tried hard enough, one of them would die where they stood. Clark tightened his jaw, this was the man that was visiting his city every night, his sister, and did the unthinkable with her. If he could snap his neck, he would.  
"Next time they shine your light in the sky, don't go to it. The Bat is dead, bury it. Consider this mercy." Clark warned while his sharp jawline clenched and released in anger. He was doing the people a favor, a favor to rid their city of a corrupt man.   
"Stay out of Metropolis, stay away from the people of Gotham, and especially stay away from Ms. Kent. She doesn't need your... influence," Clark growled, turning around to fly away. "If she is some infatuation you have, consider it done.''   
This, Batman, vigilante was nothing more than an idiotic method of scaring people into getting what he wanted. He was no better than the people he claimed to stop.   
He was not going to continue to let him scare those innocent people, and he will be damned if he would do it to his dear sister. He would kill him if she were to ever get hurt.  
Bruce was taken back by the demand the alien made. Who was he to dictate who Jessica was to see and not see? It made him livid. She was her own woman. This alien was not allowed to decide what a human can do.   
The deep voice of Batman stopped him. "Tell me..." Clark turned his head to look at him. "Do you bleed?" Bruce asked with a deadly calm look on his features. Clark kept his gaze over his shoulder and gave a hard stare. He needed to leave before things got too heated for him. He flew off back home, breaking the sound barrier as he did.   
Bruce watched him leave with his jaw practically glued shut, if it were quiet enough, you could almost hear the cracking of his teeth. "You will."


	13. Tantrum

EVERYTHING was dark, darker than the pale moonlight.   
Jessica stood in the center of a broken field, things were scattered around her, buildings, animals, bodies.  
She tried to walk forward, maybe if she could get somewhere, she could get answers. That plan was cut short when she heard crunching bones with nothing in front of her. "Like what I've done with the place?" A voice asked from in front of her.  
"What did you do?" She rasped slowly, raising her head to meet with the eyes of Lex Luthor.   
The white business suit he wore with black leather gloves was supposed to show purity, durability, faith but in Jessica's eyes, it showed nothing but destruction.   
The key feature that caught her attention was a glowing green saber in his right hand, the way the sky was red, and millions of beast-like creatures roaming around the bared buildings.  
"Have you ever heard of the story of Pyrrha of Thessaly?" Lex questioned pointing the saber directly at Jessica. "Well, when Zeus decided to end the Bronze Age with the great deluge, Deucalion and his wife, Pyrrha, were the only survivors. Even though he was imprisoned, Prometheus, who could see the future and had foreseen the coming of this flood told his son, Deucalion, to build an ark, and, thus, they survived. During the flood, they landed on Mount Parnassus, the only place spared by the flood." He explained, walking closer to the black-haired alien.   
"Now once the deluge was over and the couple was on land again, Deucalion consulted an oracle of Themis about how to repopulate the earth. He was told to throw the bones of his mother behind his shoulder. Deucalion and Pyrrha understood the "mother" to be Gaia, the mother of all living things, and the "bones" to be rocks. They threw the rocks behind their shoulders, which soon began to lose their hardness and change form. Their mass grew greater, and the beginnings of human form emerged. The parts that were soft and moist became skin, the veins of the rock became people's veins, and the hardest parts of the rocks became bones. The stones thrown by Pyrrha became women; those thrown by Deucalion became men."  
Jessica watched Lex circle her like prey, she could feel the blade of the sword against her back, to her hip, pressed it into her stomach for a moment, then repeated the cycle. "You see, the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha has also been retold in the Roman poet Ovid's famous collection Metamorphoses. In this retelling, Jove, who is like the Roman equivalent of Zeus, takes pity on the couple, recognizing them to be devout worshipers. He parts the clouds and ends the deluge specifically to save Deucalion and Pyrrha, who are floating aimlessly on a raft. When the storm has cleared and the waters have subsided, Deucalion and Pyrrha are taken aback by the desolate wreckage of the land and understand that they are now responsible for repopulating the earth. Confused about how to carry out their destiny, they go to see the goddess Themis, Themis tells Pyrrha that she must cast the bones of her mother to successfully reproduce. Pyrrha is distraught at the idea of desecrating her mother's honor by digging up her bones. She needed to use fire and water, fire from the demons above, and the water from the blood of innocents. Because when heat and moisture blend in due balance, they conceive: these two, these are the origin of everything. Though fire and water fight, humidity and warmth create all things; that harmony."  
Jessica felt a tear slip down her face in utter disgust and horror. What dream was this? "You're psychotic..."  
"Hm..." He hummed. "a three-syllable concept for such a simple mind." He chuckled. The ripping of flesh, muscle, and tissue filled her ears as well as a piercing pain she is felt once before. It spread through her abdomen like a virus, was she dying? "Goodbye,” He pouted, pushing her back into a dark abyss. “Superwoman."  
Jessica spun through the dark until she fell to the floor. With a loud groan, she turned around to be laying on her stomach. “Where am I?” She mumbled while looking around at the sandy floors that spread from miles around.   
Hello!” She shouted but the echoes of her voice were the only thing that answered her back. Jessica dusted the sand off her hands to see she was wearing something completely different than her normal outfit.   
It showed way too much skin, exposing her torso. It was a black bra with silver see-through fabric resting on her arms. The pants were adorned with black leather. She felt very exposed. “My new choice in clothing is questionable.” Before she could move further, everything went dark. 

JESSICA bolted from her bed with a loud gasp. She looked around the room frantically to see if it was all a dream.   
When she heard the bustling sounds of Gotham from the open balcony window, the cool morning breeze gliding against her skin, happy it was just a nightmare.   
She looked down at herself to see she was completely naked. As if someone is going to see her, she quickly wrapped the blanket around herself.   
"Oh no, no, no!" She groaned in disappointment with herself. She slept with the freaking Batman! A stranger under a mask no less. When she reached over to find her phone, she came across a note:

I didn't want to wake you, remember, I'm always here.   
-Batman. 

Well, at least it was not a total bust. Jessica immediately picked up her ringing phone after she came out of her love-struck daydream. It was Sheilah. "BITCH!" She screeched, causing Jessica to pull the phone away from her ear. It was way too early to be listening to Sheilah’s screeching. "WHERE ARE YOU?"  
"Calm down, I'm at home." Jess sighed. "I’ll meet you at the mall soon." Jessica explained, tossing on her clothes as fast as she could.  
"Did Bruce come over last night?" Sheilah asked.  
"He couldn’t make it." She grumbled, trying to hide the evident hickies that littered around her collar bones and on the junction where her pulse point meets the underside of her chin. You would think he was a teenager in heat. She watched them heal before her very eyes and they were gone. No evidence of a one-night stand here, Even if it hurt her to say it.  
"Lies, I don’t believe that.” Lois smirked. “Clark was moody last night when he came home. So, I assume he found you with Bruce.”   
“Did anything happen?" Sheilah asked, wonder in her tone. "A lot of the reporters say Bruce Wayne is a monster in bed." Jessica could practically hear the wiggling of her eyebrows. "Like, brutally fuck you till you can't walk, fuck."  
"What?" Jessica deadpanned. "No, I didn't have sex with Bruce because he wasn’t at my house." Jessica scoffed. "Who do you take me for? The 'first date then have sex' kind of girl?"  
"Well, you sound like you got dicked down." Sheilah shrugged. "You haven't had a good dick down since Oliver in Star City. You sound, happier."   
"Is that bad?" Jessica asked.  
"That's it, who'd you fuck?" Lois bluntly asked. "I'm not taking vibrator for an answer."  
"Lois!" Jessica gasped; she was always prying in her sex life.  
"I NEED TO KNOW!" Sheilah shouted. "You're my best friend, your sex life is the only drama I get! Lois and Clark are just gross." Jessica could not disagree with that.   
“Rude.” Lois grumbled. Jess’s sex life seemed to be more interesting than Lois's now.   
"Leilah..." Jess groaned. It was still uncomfortable for her to know that she slept with a masked stranger hours after her date with a billionaire who turned out to be nicer than she thought.   
The half German-Latina mix laughed in her own amusement. "What? It's a joke!" Sheilah was so excited to bribe Jessica with a bagel sandwich when she got back from Gotham. She and Lois were going to be all over that juicy sex drama.  
"Mhm, I'll show you a joke. I'll backhand the hell out of you." Jessica growled.  
"You'll have to catch me first!"

WALLACE Keefe sat inside his cell extremely bored in his wheelchair. He knew he shouldn’t have defaced the super twin’s statue, but he didn’t have any choice.  
He was frustrated that people were making the super twins look like Gods when they were not. A guard approached the cell with a tired look on his face. “Keefe, you made bail.” He snapped his fingers at the camera. “Open Two.”  
As the cell door opened, Wallace asked the guard with a raised brow. “Who paid?”  
The guard never answered, helping the man in the wheelchair grab his things and let him leave. While on his way home, he came across Mercy Graves sitting on the hood of a car, as Wallace rode his wheelchair towards his home.  
He cautiously rolls inside his apartment with narrowed eyes. His eyes land on a silver chair. “Who the hell are you?”  
Lex Luthor turns around in an automatic wheelchair, his leg crossed over the other. “Just a man.”  
“Yeah? Well, what do you want?”  
Lex left the wheelchair. “To help you stand for something.” Wallace stared at the wheelchair with a thick swallow.  
"What do I do?"

JESSICA gave a deep sigh as she looked through H&M. Lois and Sheilah had left her to try on some clothes for Sheilah’s family get-together.  
Rubbing her eye under her glasses, she shot Lois a text saying she was going to find another store in the mall to buy a band shirt because she was still a teenager and loved her punk bands. She knew Hot Topic usually had all her old favorite bands so that was her first stop.  
While on her way, Jessica bumped into Clark. He caught her by the arms to make sure she did not stumble over. "Nice save Clark."   
"No problem." He answered awkwardly, brushing off any lint off her shoulder.   
"Lois is at H&M if you're looking for her." Jess said, pointing her thumb behind her. "I would've stayed but I wasn't in the mood to shop for outfits, so I was heading to…-"   
"Hot Topic to buy band shirts." Clark finished with a smile.  
Jessica chuckled lightly at the way they could still finish each other's sentences. "Exactly."  
Clark pushed his glasses up with that toothy grin of his. "Can I join you?" Jessica nodded her head, looping her arm with his as they began to walk towards Hot Topic. She knew something was off about Clark. They are bond had changed from distant to awkwardly distant. And it was coming from Clark's side.   
"Welcome to Hot Topic!" A woman with bright blue hair, almond eyes, and a nose ring greeted with a wide, black-lipped, smile. "If you two need help, just let me know."   
Jess gave a bright smile with a nod before dragging Clark off to the huge wall of t-shirts. "One thing's for sure," Clark adjusted his glasses. "You're still a nerd for t-shirts."  
"Where's the fun in comfort if you can't wear cool graphic t-shirts?" Jessica smirked. "Besides, I've cut out the head seam wide enough to make it an off-the-shoulder fashion for most of my shirts. I like doing it for newer punk shirts as well."  
"That's how I'll know if you end up getting replaced by a double." Clark poked her side with a smile. "Only my real sister says dorky things like that." Jessica only stuck her tongue out like a child. Clark watched Jessica pick out a few shirts while contemplating on how to approach the situation from the previous night.  
It felt weird asking his sister if she had slept with who he thinks she slept with. He could be wrong, he hoped, she could have been still making out with someone who was not the Batman.   
Maybe it could have been Bruce Wayne, just with a grey and black outfit on. "Okay," Jessica started without looking at her brother. "What's wrong? Our bond is starting to feel weird."  
Clark swallowed his nerves before coming clean. “I was going to fly to your apartment last night. I wanted to apologize for how I’ve been treating you.”   
Jessica froze in realization. “Oh?”  
“I saw you with…” He cleared his throat. “Someone. I know it’s not my place to know these things, but it looked like the Bat vigilante.” Jessica folded a shirt and put it back where it belonged. Clark furrowed his brows. “I don’t hear you denying anything Jess.”  
“That’s because it happened.” She answered with her eyes squeezed shut. “We were arguing about you and me and things escalated.” Jess sighed, speaking a little quieter now that there were more people inside the store.  
Clark pushed his glasses up his face in disbelief at what he was hearing. “Do you know the bad things he’s done?”  
“Do you know all the good he’s done?” She argued back. “He’s done great things for Gotham and you suddenly just forget that?”  
“Not when he’s branding people, I mean come on Jessie!” Clark snapped. “And what about the billionaire guy you’re seeing? You cannot have both. Dad would be so disappointed.”  
“Unlike you Clark,” She pushed the three-band shirts into his arms, the force of her push leaving him to make an oomph sound. “I judge people on their character and look to see the good in someone’s heart. I also don’t appreciate being slut-shamed.” Jess pushed past Clark and marched right out of Hot Topic with her hands clenched.

THE Senator entered her office lobby with a rub over her forehead.   
Finch’s receptionist delivered some papers to her with a small smile. “Your three o’clock here.”   
Entering her office, Wallace, wearing a suit, turned around in the automated wheelchair as he heard June approaching. They both stared before he spoke.  
“They made me half a man.” Wallace started with a thick swallow. “I can’t even piss standing up.” He blinked his tears away for a few seconds. “Let me face them.”


	14. London Bridge is Falling Down

THERE was no escaping it anymore, the dread of facing the entire nation, the entire world, was here.   
This was the week where the whole world would broadcast this historical event on any news station there was. They were witnessing history being made in Washington to witness Superman and Superwoman.   
Meanwhile, in Gotham, Bruce Wayne was watching the news program, his three monitors showing nothing but the broadcast in Washington. Bruce rolled his eyes on how over-exaggerated the news made things. Those twins had no business being on earth anyway.  
Cautiously pulling out his phone, he began to search for Jessica’s number and considered calling with his finger over the call button. “Oh, what the hell.” He mumbled to himself before pressing the call button. He rubbed his forehead in anticipation, hearing it ring two times before she picked up.  
“Hello?” Jess asked.  
“Hey, I’m sorry for calling out of the blue.” Bruce answered with a nervous smile. “I just wanted to see how you were.”  
It was windy on her side of the phone, like she was driving with the windows down. “That’s nice of you but I’m currently in D.C. My boss sent me early this morning to the airport to cover the event at the Capitol.”   
“I suppose grabbing Lunch is off the table.” Bruce chuckled as Jessica did as well.  
“Dinner tomorrow should be fine; I won’t be back until close to midnight.” She took a pause for a second. “There’s also something I need to tell you, but it can wait till I get back. I have to go.”  
Jessica said her goodbye, leaving Bruce to his thoughts as she hung up. He knew she was going to confess to sleeping with Batman.   
Of course, he needed to think of something. Either come clean that he was Batman and risk her leaving or play it off. “Look what you got yourself into Bruce.” He murmured to himself in frustration.   
He heard a knock at the office door. When he allowed them to enter, Alfred came in. The butler hands Bruce a bunch of paychecks with red marking on it.   
Before Bruce could look at the papers, a loud boom was heard from the tv. Bruce looked toward the tv to find the alien twins on the screen. Bruce ignored them, until he heard the news lady say something about Superwoman.  
Bruce turned his attention back to the tv. His interest in Superwoman was different from Superman's. He felt like he knew her from somewhere. He just could not put his finger on it.  
The news lady then started talking about how different she looked. "Superwoman doesn't look too pleased. I mean I've heard she's been in harder situations, but she looks nervous... of course, you're going to talk to the representatives of the U.S. I mean, who wouldn't be?"  
Bruce stopped listening to the news again and sighed. He looked back at the papers and froze.   
Words like: YOU LET YOUR FAMILY DIE and BRUCE WAYNE = BLIND were scribbled on the pages. Bruce looked to Alfred with wide eyes. “Who delivered these?”   
Alfred looked at the papers in his hands with a sigh. “Mr. Schott sir.”  
“Call him into my office.” Alfred did just that, talking to Grace, Bruce’s personal assistant, to call up the boy. No later than maybe five minutes, Winn Schott walked in with a nervous sweat.   
“Yes, Mr. Wayne?”   
Bruce held up the papers in his hands. “When were these delivered?”   
Winn looked at the papers in his hands. “I-I don’t know sir, I’m just the mail boy.”   
Bruce slapped the papers down onto the desk. “Find out," Winn looked at Alfred then back to Bruce. "Now!” The man growled, sending Winn bolting down the hallway.  
“Yes sir!”   
Bruce looked back down to the disturbing mail on his desk with a clench of his jaw. He turned back to the screen to see Superwoman’s face on the screen. He knew something big was gonna happen. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach.   
Jessica looked at the crowd. She could tell it was diverse. There were supportive with signs like: “Superman Saves'' and “Superwoman saved my child, let them stay!”. They wore shirts and chanted their names as if they were Gods. There were angry people screaming “Get out!” and holding signs.

SUPER TWINS=ILLEGAL ALIENS 

THIS IS OUR WORLD, NOT YOURS! 

EARTH BELONGS TO HUMANS

GOD HATES ALIENS

GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!

WHEN INVASION BECOMES REALITY, REVOLT BECOMES DUTY!

Jessica swallowed her pride and turned away from the crowd. She walked inside the capitol with her brother as professionally as they could. Jessica’s mouth was dry, and Clark’s heart was racing. Of course, with eyes following your every move, it was hard to stay composed.   
Once they got inside the courtroom, everything stood still. Clark held open the gate for his sister and then for him. When they settled near the podium, Senator Finch began the trail.   
"Let me say at the outset that I am grateful to our witness for coming before us today." Senator Finch thanked then turned to the twins and everyone else. "This is how a democracy works. We talk to each other. We act by the consent of the govern, sir and ma'am, I have sat here before to say that shadow interventions will not be tolerated by this Committee. Neither will lies. Because today is a day for truth. Because only by speaking..." She paused her wise words when she saw something from the corner of her eye.   
She looked, scared. "Only by working... together, can we…” She swallowed thickly. “can we..." She started to slowly turn the cup around to reveal GRANNY'S PEACH TEA in bright red letters.   
Finch began to breathe shakily, scanning the room in a panic. When her eyes landed on Lex Luther's chair, it was found empty. The blonde senator gave a shaky breath at the realization of what was happening.   
Jessica noticed the sudden change of her emotion. She tilted her head slightly, scrunching her eyebrows. She looked over to Wallace, seeing him in that wheelchair made her heart heavy. She knew her and Clark were the reason he was in that chair. The dirty glare he sent her way only made the fact more known.  
She suddenly felt it, the feeling. It was stronger, sharper, than ever, stabbing her gut like a hundred swords. It clicked in her head. She snapped her head over to the senator, to Wallace, Lex’s empty chair, and back to the senator again with her eyes widened in shock.   
"No!" She ran, jumping to save the crippled man but she was too late. The blast sent her flying into Clark, the older sibling catching her. The Capitol burst into flames, shocking everyone around that was by standing.  
Jessica laid against Clark in shock, not being able to comprehend what had happened. This was what that feeling was, the feeling of death. Clark held her tighter as she broke down crying in guilt.  
Clark blamed himself, but he knew not as much as Jessica. He knew she was beating herself up for not sensing it, like she usually did. She should have sensed it, the feeling, the sense of danger she gets when it's too dangerous. All gone. Like it never existed in the first place.  
_________________________________________

THAT night, Jessica landed on her balcony. The remainder of what happened still, and always will be, fresh in her mind.   
Its re-triggered memories that she's tried to forget from two years ago but this time, she couldn't stop it. She threw off her uniform, crying heavily.   
When she tossed it across the room, it landed on the little remote Batman gave her without realizing she did. She changed into her pj's, slapped her glasses on her face.  
The small puppy was sleeping soundly when he heard the cries of his girl. He perked his head up and felt himself get picked up. He licked at her cheeks trying to cheer her up. When Jessica sat on her bed, all she did was cuddle the small dog to the best of her ability.   
She just needed to be comforted. She was too ashamed to face her mom, Clark was with Lois, and she was embarrassed to even talk to her mother.   
An hour later, the sound of boots hitting the floor of her balcony caught Krypto's attention. He began to bark, catching Jessica's attention as well. "Shh, Krypto." She hushed, placing the dog on the floor as the small pup ran to the balcony then ran right back to Jessica's feet.   
Something out there scared him. Jessica silently walked towards the balcony to see Batman looking at her through the dark. "You called?" He asked in his deep voice.  
Jessica raised her eyebrow. "I didn't..." She sighed, realizing she must have accidentally called him when she threw her suit across the room.  
"I said it was for emergencies."  
"I know!" She hissed but recoiled into tears. She wiped her eyes under her glasses, she refused to have him see her cry.   
Bruce, on the other hand, was shocked. He waited for her to calm down. "They could have stopped it..." She sighed, not looking at him.  
"Stop what?"  
"The attack on Washington today, I know you saw it... Superwoman saw me an hour ago…” She shook her head. “There was a distraction, it blocked her sense... you're right,” She crossed her arms, looking away. “they are monsters, she’s a monster." Jess sniffed but shook her head. "No…” she recoiled. “they just... I don't know anymore."   
Bruce silently listened to her and, it broke his heart to see her like this. Every day since he has been in Metropolis, he would dress up and watch her sit on the balcony with her new dog. She always seemed troubled. Now, she could not hold it in anymore.  
"What do you think they are? Truly?" He asked, stepping closer to her. Jessica leaned on the ledge in thought.  
"They aren't the bad guys but... sometimes I can't explain it."  
"They make it look like that." Batman grunted.   
Jess huffed. "Why do you have such a problem with them?"  
"It's Superman I have a problem with."  
“And Superwoman?” Jessica questioned.  
Bruce clenched and unclenched his hands. “You saw what happened at the capitol today. She’s no better than him.”  
Jessica looked away with a sigh. “You’re right.” Bruce searched for an answer, but she wouldn't understand, so he stood quiet. Jessica was ready to leave back into her apartment when Bruce grabbed her arm. "Why can't I see you, anymore?" She asked with a raised brow, he let go of her arm.  
"I'm not a person who goes off of looks." Jessica snorted and rolled her eyes.  
"We’ve slept together, I’m pretty sure I don’t care what you look like at this point.” She motioned him to walk closer.  
Bruce gave a sigh and stepped out of the shadows. He remained hidden by his cape, but his face showed more. "See... that wasn't so bad."  
He rolled his eyes at her. "Not amusing."  
"Just trying to lighten the mood." She mumbled while crossing her arms. "Never mind... goodnight." Yet again, she turned around to leave to her room, but Bruce stopped her. This time, he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him. "Are you always so touchy?" She went to pull away from her, but he restrained her from doing so.  
"Do you always run away from your problems?" She paused briefly, looking up at the bat. She went to retaliate but refrained from it. "There it is."  
"What?"  
"You're doing it again."  
"Stop doing that!” She snatched her arm out of his grasp. “Stop reading me like I'm some book!" She exclaimed, her eyes holding a new fire. She began to push him away without hurting him, but he just wouldn't budge. She finally gave up and went limp in his arms with a childish groan. Bruce, for the hundredth time that night, rolled his eyes at her behavior.  
"You're a child."  
"And you're a… Whatever." She groaned. Bruce made her stand straight with another roll of his eyes.   
When she opened her eyes again, he felt the familiar feeling of what happened the first night they met. Jessica noticed he was pulling her closer subconsciously, she gripped onto his arm gently.   
"What are you doing?" She whispered gently. Bruce swallowed thickly then spoke.  
"Do you mind if I..." He didn't even finish his sentence because he couldn't.  
"Yea..." She whispered going to kiss him, she was excited, to say the least. After the horrific day she's had, she wanted this as much as anyone, to just forget.   
Bruce leaned in to kiss her, he could feel the smoothness of her lips brush against his chapped ones. Finally, she pressed her lips to his. Arms wrapping around his head as he pulled her flush against him. She clung onto him like a lifeline as he did her.   
Things were slowly starting to escalate once more when Alfred spoke through the com. "I'm sorry master Bruce, am I interrupting something?"   
Bruce growled, pulling away from Jessica. The woman raised a brow in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"No... I just... I'll see you tomorrow night." He grumbled, pulled out something from his belt, then left her balcony.


	15. Adam's Song

“HEY, Lo, I’m gonna be gone for a couple of days. Can you let Perry know something came up?” Jessica mumbled as she sat on a park bench somewhere on the west coast.  
She sounded broken, sad, unable to see what lies ahead. She could have just left without saying a word as Clark does but she couldn’t do that, not to Lois.   
She sat back with her glasses pushed all the way up her nose, black hair up in a messy bun with some comfy clothes, and a backpack with some clothes in it.   
She watched people walk and jog around the park with the saddest eyes. She stared at a photo of her father, in her locket, for a good couple minutes. She kissed the picture before tucking it back inside her shirt.   
Jess swung her backpack over her shoulder and decided to make her way inside Notre Dame. She always came to France, sometimes to Vatican City, whenever she was facing tribulations where she questions why she’s a hero. When she entered the quiet church, she noticed how quiet it was.   
She found a seat and slipped inside to find some answers in her faith. “What would you do, Pa?” She whispered to her heavenly father.   
She stared hard at the statue of Mother Mary holding her son while looking up at the sky towards God. She questioned Him, asking why He would do that to her son. Even though she tried to hide it, and most people bought her fake smile, there was one person who didn’t. He had been watching her for a couple of hours, but he didn’t want to approach someone that he thought he knew.  
It was when she gave that first fake smile, he knew it was the same thorn in his ass. He walked towards that park bench, Jessica. “Maybe if you stop trying not to see him, he’d answer you.”  
Jessica turned her gaze up to meet the dark-eyed gaze of her old pain in the ass, John Constantine. “John!” She chuckled, jumping up to give her friend a hug. When she let go, John sat them both down on the bench.  
“What are you doing here?” John asked.  
Jessica leaned back with a deep sigh. “Clearing my head.” She motioned to her backpack. “What are you doing here? I saw Isabel and she said you were on some mission here.”  
“Church business, God’s work.” He shrugged.  
Jessica smirked. “John Constantine doing God’s work. I’m surprised.”   
“Funny.” He joked, pushing his long black hair from his face. “The difference is, were you looking for me?”   
Jessica sighed, looking back to the statute. “I need to go back in.”  
“I thought I told you I was never putting you back in the void.”  
“Did you not see what happened?” Jessica asked, mentioning the bombing at the Capitol. “I’m older now, John. I can handle it.”   
John stared her down before looking away. “That’s what you said when you were 23 and you almost went crazy for it.” Jessica went to protest but John stopped her. “I know that darkness still floats around in the back of your head. You can’t fool me.” He grunted. “You experienced something very dark, something like that never goes away, you just get better at hiding it.” There was a silence between them. Nothing unusual between these two. “Are you sure?”  
Jessica woved her fingers together while never taking her eyes off the mother Mary. “Yes.”  
John rubbed the back of his neck before pointing his finger at Jessica like a parent to a child. “You’re only going to be in for an hour or two.”  
“What happens if I’m in there after that?”  
John sucked in a deep breath before standing up. “You’ll know.” As John goes to stand up, Jessica stops him. She knew the risk of going to the Void and, honestly, she knew she should save it for a more important time.   
“No, it’s fine.” She shrugged with a deep sigh. “I’ll figure myself out some other way.”   
“I heard talking to the big boss upstairs might help you figure out whatever you’re going through.” John shrugged as they both looked at the statue of Mary.   
Jessica ran a hand over the back of her neck in thought. “I haven’t heard God in a very long time. If he wanted to help me, he would have.” She stood up, making sure she had all her things before leaving John and the church behind.

THAT night, Jessica landed on the front steps of Bruce’s mansion with butterflies in her stomach.   
Bruce had been calling her cell phone for the entire week that she has been in France to clear her mind. She hoped he was not mad at her.  
Before she could turn back, her fist was knocking on the door. She waited a few minutes with no answer. She decided to just turn around and leave, go back home to go to sleep.   
It wasn't until the door opened to reveal Alfred with a weary look on his face. “Madam Kent?” He asked, seeing her back.   
When she turned around to meet the older man's face, he ushered her inside. “I’ll find Master Wayne; you go warm up over the fire.” He sat Jessica down on the couch before rushing to the Batcave to grab Bruce.  
There, Jessica pushed her glasses up and stood up to admire the pictures Bruce had of his days before they were murdered. She heard hurried steps of Bruce and turned around. “Hey, Bruce.” She smiled timidly.  
“Where have you been? I thought something happened to you.” Bruce asked worriedly.   
Jessica avoided grabbing his hands, instead, she wrapped them around herself. “I needed to get away.” She answered.  
“I was nervous that you had gotten hurt at the capital.” Bruce answered, regarding the assault on the capitol.   
“No, it wasn’t anything like that.” She answered. When Jessica could not make eye contact with him, he tried to make her feel comfortable before bombarding her with questions. He gave a silent sigh, what to talk about?   
“I'm older now than my father ever was.” Bruce answered, catching Jessica’s attention. “Can I show you something?” Jessica nodded her head as Bruce wrapped a blanket around her and led her all the way to the old Wayne manor. It wasn’t as dark as she thought it was going to be, the grey sky lacked the beautiful colors of the sunset.   
“Where are we?”  
“This was my old home.” Bruce answered his hands in his pockets. Jessica looked down at the Wayne family crest near the dusty, ashy, fireplace. “You know, my father sat me down, right here. Told me what Wayne manor was built of.” Jessica pulled the blanket around her even further. “Railways, real estates, and oil. The first generation made their fortune trading with the French. Pelts and skins. They were hunters.”   
He gave a sad sigh at the memory of him and his father, his mother watching with a smile on her face. “But you already knew that.”  
“Surprisingly, I held myself back from doing any research.” Jessica smiled gently. “A courtesy thing.”  
Bruce chuckled with the same smile Jessica held. “Thank you.”  
It was silent between Bruce and Jess for a couple of seconds before she grew the courage to speak up. “I felt guilty.” She mumbled with her eyes staring at the empty fireplace ahead of her.   
“I knew I should have told you, but I just felt so bad.” She covered her face with a sharp inhale of cold air. “I know that’s not an excuse but… ugh.” She pushed her hair away from her face. “I, um, before we started to date. The Batman had found my department and began to visit me. I have no idea what for, but I think of it as he was protecting me. Anyway, over the months, we grew closer and it led to the two of us to… spend the night with each other.” She pulled the blanket further over herself as if it would swallow her up.  
Bruce stood silent in deep thought, his eyes trained on the fireplace. To Jessica, she thought he was angry with her and he had every right to be. To Bruce, he was debating if he should come clean or not.   
His entire secret rests in the balance of his feelings for her. With a deep sigh, Bruce finally made his decision. “I… don’t know how to feel about all of this.”  
“As you should.” Jessica mumbled. “I’m so sorry.”


	16. Potential Break-up Song

“YOU blew it didn’t you?” Alfred asked once he saw Jessica leaving the manor as quiet as a mouse.  
Bruce rubbed the back of his neck, giving Alfred his neck. “I panicked.”  
“That, Master Wayne, is hard to believe.” Alfred answered with his arms crossed. “That poor woman’s heart is being dragged to two different corners because you kept visiting her as Batman and Bruce Wayne.” He scolded with his blue eyes narrowed. “How is that fair?”  
“What do you expect me to say Alfred? I should just tell her I’m Batman so fast?”  
Alfred shrugged. “You did it with Ms. Dawes.”   
“And look where she is now.” Bruce growled. “In a grave.”  
“Master Wayne, I am sure Madam Kent will be in more danger if Batman further associates himself with her.” Bruce gave a deep sigh as he leaned his head to rest on the back of the couch. “I know her safety is your mine priority, but what of her feelings? Are they not as important?”  
_________________________________________

JESSICA left her apartment to attend a gala Bruce had invited her to as another one of their "dates".   
She wore an emerald sleeveless dress that rested an inch off the floor with her matching velvet pumps. She pushed her curled hair away from her face as she pushed up her other set of glasses, her Harry Potter glasses, that is what she called them. She was surprised to get a phone call from Bruce asking about taking her to a gala.  
“Wow,” Bruce smiled. “You look stunning.”   
Jessica adjusted her glasses with a nervous smile. “Thank you.” He opened the door to his 1969 black Chevy Impala with a tender smile, letting Jessica in  
"This is a beautiful car." Jessica complemented, running her hand over the dashboard with a smile. "My dad had one from 59."  
Bruce shrugged his shoulders from the window, a smirk on his face. "Where we're going, the car first just right in." When Bruce rounded the back of the car, Jessica leaned over and unlocked the door for him.  
Bruce entered the driver's side and pulled off with ease. While driving through the rides of Metropolis, he made conversation. He asked the normal questions, how her day was, what is new in the journalism world, things like that.   
“Why did you become a reporter?” Bruce asked curiously. “From our last date at the museum, you know a lot more than the average reporter.” Jessica sent him a look with a raised brow. “I’m not saying it's a bad thing!” He defends with a hand up in defense. “I’ve just never seen someone so interested in science as a reporter.”  
Jessica’s red stained lips turned upwards into a smile. “No, you’re right.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I became a reporter because I wanted to write the truth for the people. I couldn’t do that with science.”   
“But you’d be changing the world with scientific breakthroughs.” Bruce explained. “We do it all the time at Wayne Enterprises.”  
Jessica chuckled. “I can change the world through words Bruce. By factual evidence. I didn’t win a Pulitzer against Lois Lane for no reason.”  
Bruce chuckled at her words. “What is this famed Pulitzer article I hear so much about?” He asked curiously. “Alfred won’t stop buzzing about it.”   
Jessica blushed at his words. “My article is about the social injustices people all over the world face. My editor-in-chief originally sent me to different parts of the world to study about rich internationalists, but when I saw how many people from lower class societies were treated so terribly. I had to take action.”   
“So, you wrote the article.” Jessica nodded her head with a smile. Bruce stopped at a red light. He turned his attention to Jessica.  
“Not everyone is born bad. It’s the people who you’re surrounded with are the ones that influence the choices you make in life.” Jessica explained. “Not all Muslims are terrorists, not all African Americans are criminals, and not all Hispanics are rape/drug dealers. The individuals who do these things are the ones, no matter the race, should be punished.” Jessica shrugged her shoulders. “But that’s my opinion. A lot of other people don’t see it that way but, my opinion won me my Pulitzer.” She sent a wink his way. “So, in a way, my opinion is the philosophy of people with common sense.”   
Bruce could not help but stare, not only was she not afraid to express who she was, she was also highly educated on the things that made her passionate.   
In Bruce’s eyes, she was perfect. The honking of a car from behind them snapped Bruce out of his admiration state for the educated goddess in front of him. “I’ll have to read your article.” He said, driving forward.   
“It won’t disappoint, I hope.”  
_________________________________________

INSIDE the gala, Jessica and Bruce, arm in arm, toured around many artifacts.   
She wasn’t used to all the eyes on her but realized it was for Bruce more than her. She was not his average type to be hanging on his arm. She wasn’t a supermodel or some rich daughter to another big cooperation. She was a plain reporter from Smallville, Kansas. Nothing much exciting about Jessica Kent. Kalura-El, on the other hand, is much more exciting.  
Being two different people was harder than it looked. She felt as though she was dating one guy and fooling around with another. She wasn't being her true self but, then again, who was her true self? Wanting a break from all the stares, she decided to gain her confidence back in the bathroom.   
While Jessica was calming herself down, Diana, doing her job as an antique dealer, was shown an ancient sword.  
She wore a silver dress that exposed her tan arm, the embroidered silver fabric covering her other one. On her exposed arm, it was decorated with a gold upper arm cuff.   
The back of the dress showing off her beautifully unscarred back. The man that was showing her around began to speak. “It's the sword of Alexander. It's the blade that cut the Gordian Knot. It's a triumph.”  
Diana smiled kindly. “Yes.”  
“Enjoy.”  
“Thank you.” Now that she was alone, she stared at the blade with a sigh. Although it was a fake, it was still beautiful.  
“It's a fake.” Bruce started, coming up behind her. “The real one was sold in '98 on the black market. Now it hangs…-”  
“Over the bed of the Sultan of Hajar.” She smirked, finishing his sentence. “Excuse me.” As Diana tries to walk away, Bruce grabbed her by her upper arm.  
“Excuse me, Miss.” Diana stared at his hand with a raised brow. Was he seriously touching her? “The other night, you took something that doesn't belong to you. Stealing isn't polite.” He grunted.   
Diana rolled her eyes, a smirk coming to play on her perfect lips. “Is it stealing if you steal from another thief?” She asked smugly.  
Bruce narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”  
“Someone interested in the same man you are.”  
“Is that right?”  
Diana crossed her arms as she turned around to look at Bruce. “I believe Mr. Luthor has a photo that belongs to me.”  
“Did you get it?” He asked curiously.  
She gave a deep sigh, looking away. “As it happens, no, I didn't. The data you copied is military grade encryption.” As she tried to turn away, Bruce grabbed her by the arm again.  
“You know. I bet with that dress 9 out of 10 men would let you get away with anything.” Bruce spoke.  
“But you're the 10th?” She asked.   
“Mmm. I guess I am the first to see through that babe in the woods act. You don't know me, but I've known a few women like you.” Diana looked ahead to see the woman she danced with a few months ago standing in the back, watching her eyes full of anger.   
“I suppose your date doesn’t see it that way.” Bruce’s eyes shot up to see Jessica’s form storming out the same way they came in. He squeezed his eyes together knowing he and the woman looked. She could have easily mistaken it for him hitting on another woman. Diana gave a sigh, shaking her head.   
“But I don't think you've ever known a woman like me.” She turned around to face Bruce again. “You know, it's true what they say about little boys: Born with no natural inclination to share.” She fixed his tie. “I didn't steal your drive. I borrowed it. You'll find it in the glove compartment of your car.” She spun around on her heel, walking away. “Mr. Wayne.”


	17. Everybody's Fool

LOIS, Jessica, and Sheilah sat in Jessica’s apartment while gossiping about drama that has accrued over their lives.   
Jessica, for sure, was starting to regret even agreeing to go to that gala in the first place. He could have flirted with women by himself.  
Krypto’s growing body laid in Jessica’s lap as she petted his white fur with a sigh. “What dick.” Sheilah scoffed. “He doesn’t deserve you. Didn’t I tell you Lois?”  
“I told you that!” Lois growled, punching Sheilah in the arm. The black-haired woman rubbed her arm with a pout.   
Jessica just gazed off, thinking. She supposed it was his way of getting back at her for cheating with Batman. It did not hurt any less. She just wanted to feel intimate again, happy. She kept thinking about the passionate night she had with Batman. And the thing that drove her crazy was, she had not told her best friends yet.  
“Okay, muñeca,” Sheilah started, placing her cup on the coffee table. “You’ve been staring off toward your balcony for the best twenty minutes. What’s up?”  
Jessica looked to her friends with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”  
“The jig is up Jess, we caught you.” Lois said with a smirk. “Spill.”  
The alien gave a deep sigh, rubbing her forehead with her hand. There was no denying it now, the truth was about to be released like a bat out of hell. “I, um...” She gave a deep sigh. “I slept with a guy a while back.” She confessed, squeezing her eyes closed.   
Lois and Sheilah turned their gazes to each other with their mouths open. "So,” Lois started. “you slept with the Batman?" Lois asked as Sheilah leaned closer with her mouth twisted into a smirk. It was a couple of months after Jessica’s sexual encounter with the bat and she has only seen him a couple of times. “And it took you THIS long to tell us?” Lois hissed, hitting Jessica’s leg with the pillow that was resting in her lap.  
"Was his dick big?" Sheilah asked, wiggling her eyebrows.   
A deep blush rapidly spread across Jessica's cheeks. "He was huge." All three women squealed like a bunch of underaged schoolgirls. “It was so intense, it was something that I had never experienced before, ya know?”  
“Not even with Oliver?” Lois asked.  
“Not even with Ollie.” Jessica shook her head with a deep sigh. “I just feel bad because Bruce wants to take it to the next level with me in our relationship and I just… I don’t know.”  
“Do you regret it?” Sheilah asked with an arched brow.   
“Regret what?”   
“Do you regret sleeping with Batman?”  
“Well, but…-”  
“Then you don’t regret it.” Sheilah stated. “From the sound of it, you want it to happen again.”   
Lois pointed her finger at Sheilah. “She’s got a point, I mean, don’t tell your brother but like, wow. Do we not see the muscle that man has going on?” Lois asked with a raised brow, her giant wine cup next to her cheek. “He’s no Superman but, I’d hit that.”  
“Second that to me.” Sheilah smirked.  
“Did you see his face while you two were going at it?” Lois asked.   
Jessica looked at Lois with a laugh. “No, it was too dark to see him, and besides, even if I did, I wouldn’t say anything.” Jessica drank the rest of the wine in her glass. “He wears the mask for a reason you know.”   
Lois and Sheilah groaned in annoyance. “He obviously didn’t care about his identity when you two were humping like wild animals.” Sheilah laughed. It suddenly hit her, "Oh my god, Batman actually had sex with an alien!" Sheilah gasped, bouncing up and down like a toddler. "I'm going home, maybe he'll come back and give you more of that bat love." She smirked, grabbing Lois, and pushing her out of the door.   
Jess rolled her eyes once she heard the door slam shut. She began to clean around her apartment, tossing her suit into her secret spot, not realizing that a piece of it was sticking out.   
Jessica super sped to her room, changed into some sweats and a black tank top. She walked back out of the room to see everything in her apartment was dark.  
"Hello?" She asked with a raised brow. A pair of arms pulled her towards a fit chest, causing Jessica to yelp with a little laugh. The dark knight immediately attached his lips to Jessica's, backing her up to the dinner table.   
Suddenly, the next date with Bruce popped into her head, she had told him what had happened that night in the hotel. To her surprise, Bruce was upset but was quick to forgive her. But, then again, him with that other woman, she did not know if she wanted to continue anything.  
Batman plopped her onto the table, his lips attacking her neck sucking on her pulse point.  
Jessica ran her fingers up his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. how she wanted to feel him pressed against her. Batman pushed his hardening erection against her.   
'Oh Jesus, slow down!' Jessica had no idea what to do with herself, she was torn between a man who she could see every day and a man who went out of his way to visit a reporter in Metropolis.   
Bruce had already forgiven her once and look where that ended up, in the arms of a more beautiful woman. But it was the same strange feeling she got with Bruce when she was with the Dark Knight.  
A deep groan rumbled within Bruce, his gloved hands tightening around her taut waist. In a moment, Jessica tried to separate herself from the vigilante. "No… stop..." She mumbled, her hands pushing his chest away slightly. "I-I can't… I can't do this right now."  
Bruce was taken back by her motion. Although his face was motionless, his brain was running five times as fast. He could not help but think to himself how he let it get this far. Why did he let it get that far? Was it because she accepted Batman, his true person, for who he was? No matter the flaw or what he knew she disagreed about him.   
It was an ongoing battle for him for a few months while he was building the weapon to end Superman following his sister next.   
He wondered if dragging her into his whole life of crime was too dangerous. The things that happened with Rachel and Harvey… Jason. He did not want what happened to them, happen to her. He started to remember what his parents always told him be happy, if the person you truly love is right in front of you, never let her go.  
He knew this side of him just had to be selfish. He may be Bruce Wayne, playboy billionaire in the public eye but that was not him. This, Batman, that is him. "No."  
"What?"  
"I'm going to be selfish for once…” He started, clenching his fists. “I push everyone I know away from me for what? You, you're different. I don't care if that pretty boy Bruce Wayne wants you, I do. Me." He explained gruffly. Jessica opened her mouth to say something but couldn't find the words to do so.  
"I don't even know who you really are underneath that mask. I can't be in a relationship like that!" She argued back and it was true. She was falling for someone who she had never seen, never been on a date with, never been investigated by her best friends, nothing. He’s seen her, at night, every other weekend. How could someone live like that?  
Bruce placed both of his hands on either side of Jessica. He’s going to have to rip it off like a band-aid. The man raised his hand up to his mask and swiftly tugged it off.   
"No!" Jessica squealed, slapping her hands over her face.   
"Jess... Jess look at me." Bruce sighed.  
"Nope!” She shook her head. “I'm not looking, I can't know your identity!"  
"Look at me, dammit!" He growled, pulling her hands away from her face. She slowly opened her eyes to see Bruce Wayne standing there, his hair a tousled mess from when he ripped off the mask.  
"Bruce..." She mumbled. "Are you kidding me!" She hissed, pushing his chest away. "I confessed to you, that I slept with you!” She frantically exclaimed, using hand movements to motion to him. “How is that okay?!” She narrowed her eyes. “And oh..." She growled darkly with her finger point at him. “That little stunt you pulled tonight, and you have the balls to come over here!” She backed him up against a wall as Bruce looked at her with wide eyes.  
“I swear that wasn’t what it looked like. She had valuable information that I needed.” Bruce rubbed the back of his neck in a bit of embarrassment. Maybe that was a little too far on his part.  
“Like what?”  
“I can’t tell you that,” She rolled her eyes, walking away from him. “I’m trying to protect you.”  
“I don’t need your protection Bruce, trust me, I can take care of myself.” She grumbled, running her hand through her hair.   
Bruce watched her with sad eyes. “Jess, I’m sorry, I truly am. I just… the first night we met at the gala, I knew you didn’t like Bruce Wayne. You aren't into the flashy cameras or the money." He explained with a sigh. Jessica re-adjusted her glasses on her face with a stern stubborn face. "Batman is me, Bruce isn't, why do you think I visited you all the way here in Metropolis? If you wouldn't click with the other side of me, you might with this one."   
“That doesn’t excuse the fact that you lied to me. I’m into two different people Bruce.” She sighed, slapping her hands to her sides. “I don’t even know who you really are.”   
“I understand, I shouldn’t have gone this far but if you only knew what’s happened to the people, I let get close enough. My parent’s, my allies,” He rubbed his forehead. “My son. They all get hurt because of me. I didn’t want that to happen to you.” He slowly grabbed Jessica’s slim fingers with his gloved ones. “If you want me to leave, I’ll go, you won’t see me again.” He spoke. “It’ll be very difficult to leave the most perfect thing in the world, but I will respect your wishes.”  
When Jessica didn’t say anything, Bruce took that as his cue to leave. The woman rolled her eyes, she wanted to torture him just a little bit. “Bruce,” She sighed, grabbing his utility belt. “I never said to leave.” She pulled him in closer by his belt.  
“What am I going to do with you?” He asked, his hands on her waist. Jessica placed her hands on his stubbled cheek with a loving look in her eyes, the same one he's longed for since his parents passed.  
“I guess you’ll just have to figure it out.” Jessica smiled, brought him in for a kiss. Bruce brought her in closer as Jess wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She brushed her hand over a certain spot as he gave a slight wince in pain. "What happened?" She asked with a raised brow.   
Bruce moved his shoulders a little to try and hide the obvious pain he's feeling. "The um...villains in Gotham are nothing to be messed with." He mumbled. Jessica reached her hand to his cape. "No don't...-" Jessica instantly lifted his cape up to see a large cut that reached from the tip of his shoulder to between his shoulder blades.   
Jessica gave him a slight glare, always worrying about him. "Take this off,” She instructed. “no arguing with me."  
Bruce sighed and began to detach the top of his suit from his torso. The cut was more painful than he thought. Bruce sat on the barstool while admiring her apartment for once, he was usually always on the balcony or they were in his mansion.   
He always wondered what her apartment looked like and it was exactly the opposite of what he imagined.   
He thought she would have a more, modern taste, like him. Turns out, it was more unpredictable. Just like her, his Smallville. It sounded so cheesy to him, but he didn’t really seem to care now.   
Her apartment had posters of old movies from 1980, movies he grew up on like The Lost Boys or The NeverEnding Story, and newer movies, like Maid in Manhattan or The Lake House. There were other things as well such as picture frames of her family, her diplomas from high school and college, and her Pulitzer Prize.   
It had way more of a homey feel to it than his modern-day mansion, that’s for sure. And he liked it, just the way it was.   
Jessica came sauntering back, placing her mini first aid kit onto the dinner table. "I don't have anesthetic, so the stitches are going to hurt."  
"I took the cut; I can take the stitch." He smirked, cocky bastard.   
Jessica smirked right back at him. "You know, never piss off the woman with the needle."  
"Note taken." Bruce grumbled, turning to where Jessica had her full-length mirror. He began to admire her through the glass object. Man, was he ever so lucky? He’s had beautiful women in his lifetime but, she, oh she was different.   
His parents for sure would have loved her and started to ask the question ‘when are you going to propose?’ It was so intoxicating to be around her sometimes. He would get in trouble, by her, when she would be talking about something that she was so passionate about because he was so absorbed in her beauty and passion about anything. Of course, he hasn't told her that, yet.  
There were a few moments of silence before Jessica decided to speak. "So, when were you going to tell me, the honeymoon?" She asked, causing Bruce to turn his attention to his cowl. "I can't believe you lied to me about this." She mumbled as she put on some numbing cream she found in the kit.   
Bruce took this as his moment to be a smart ass. "Now I really never said I wasn't Batman." He smirked, turning his head to look at her. Jessica slapped her hand over his wound, the colliding of raw skin echoed across the room. Bruce arched his back in pain. "Ow!"  
Jessica scrunched up her nose, huffing in annoyance. "You know what really upsets me, not that the fact that the new man in my life is actually two men, I'm sitting on the biggest story of my career, Batman Unmasked! And… there isn't a damned thing I can do about it." She grumbled while starting the stitching process of his deep wound.   
Bruce smiled to himself and moved his large, gloved hand to her leg. "That means you do love me."   
“Hold your horses bat boy,” Jessica started. “You haven’t reached that just yet.” Jessica finished her stitches and made sure to tie it tight enough to where it wouldn't fall apart. "I'm going to get iodine for that wound.” Jessica discarded the used needle in the trash. “Burning, stinging iodine." She glared then disappeared into her bedroom.   
She was a bit mad at him, not at the fact that he kept the secret Batman from her, she knows about keeping secret identities. She was upset at the fact that he pretended to be mad at her even though she slept with him, he should have just come clean right then.  
Bruce stood up starting to put his armor back on as carefully as he could. “You better not be putting that suit back on Bruce Wayne!” She shouted from her bathroom in her room. “Those stitches pop and I won't be putting on Numbing Cream!” Bruce chuckled at her response. She sounded just like Alfred.  
A single picture of an older man caught his attention, he was sitting on his tractor, the family dog on his lap, and a gracious smile across his tan face. Bruce couldn't help but envy the man just a little, he had everything he ever wanted, a family, a wife, a home.  
Bruce went to look at a picture of Jessica's mother when his leg got caught on the hiding spot of where Jessica kept her suit. "Shit." He cursed quietly but paused when he saw the giant S on the red and blue suit.  
He looked at the bedroom door to where Jessica disappeared through then back to the suit. He picked it up in his hands, his brows creasing in anger. "Bruce? Is everything alri-oh!" Jessica gasped at the sight, dropping the iodine into the floor; her hands flying to her mouth. She had been caught. "Bruce..."  
"Please tell me this… this isn't what I think it is." He grumbled lowly, a glare in his brown eyes. Jessica felt herself wince at his cold stare. Bruce scoffed and threw down her suit back to where it was.  
"I can't believe you, please tell me it's not true. That this is just a costume..." He trailed off as Jessica's eyes began to tear up.  
“I…-”  
Bruce walked closer and snatched the glasses off from her face. "Fucking great!" He hissed, throwing her glasses across the room. The black-framed glasses hit her father's picture and landed on the floor with a crack.  
Bruce grabbed his cowl, stomping his way off to get to the balcony. “What’s so wrong about my brother and I?” Jessica asked with her hands clenched. “So what? You're going to go to war with my brother because of the hate you have for him? We aren’t your enemy Bruce!”  
“That son of a bitch brought the war to the human race, two years ago!” Bruce bellowed angrily.   
“Don’t talk about him like that!” Jessica growled, moving closer.  
“Oh, I’m not just talking about him. I am talking about you as well. I mean, Jesus, Jessica count the dead.” He growled, pointing to the window. “Thousands of people! What's next? Millions?"   
Jessica crossed her arms, not wanting to let her tears fall down her face. She wouldn’t, he didn’t deserve to see her cry. “That’ll never happen. I would die before I ever let that happen.”  
Bruce scoffed. “A monster is told in many forms, I guess I was blinded by the beauty in yours." With that, he was off with a heavy heart. There were so many secrets in one relationship that he didn’t care at that point. He was ready to destroy the evil in both, save earth of a future of violence and evil.   
Jessica bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying, she had a sudden flashback of what Zod said, how could someone on earth love someone like her.


End file.
